Guest guest Posted October 16, 2003 Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 Monsanto to quit Europe Paul Brown and Mark Oliver Thursday October 16, 2003 The Guardian Monsanto, the world's largest GM seed company, is pulling out of the European cereal business in a surprise move that raised hopes of victory among anti-GM campaigners. The firm, the American pioneer of GM, confirmed yesterday that it is to close European cereal business headquarters at Trumpington, Cambridgeshire, which employs 125 people. The decision follows the failure to introduce genetically modified hybrid wheat to Europe, and the company has decided to cut costs. Monsanto bought the business from Unilever in 1998 at a time of high optimism for GM, when wheat was considered the big money spinner. The company said yesterday that the growth in hybrid wheat had "failed to materialise". Jeff Cox, Monsanto's general manager, said: "We've made great progress over the past few years in realigning the cereals business to make it more competitive in a much tougher European seed market. "Our lack of success in hybrids means this is no longer a good strategic fit for Monsanto." The company is reorganising its UK herbicide oil seed rape operations. Breeding stations in France, Germany and the Czech Republic will also be affected. Monsanto announced its decision on the eve of today's publication of the results of the government's farm-scale evaluations of GM crops. A mixed verdict on the technology is anticipated in what is being seen as a crucial part of the government's research into whether to allow commercial GM crops. It also follows last month's confirmation of unease among the public when the widest formal public debate ever conducted in Britain found that an overwhelming percentage of people were uneasy, suspicious or hostile to GM crops. More than 650 public meetings were held around the country and about 37,000 people responded to questionnaires, with 54% saying they never want to see GM crops grown in the UK. Pete Riley, of Friends of the Earth, said the firm was "pulling out after five years with no products to show and no test sites for Monsanto GM cereals in Britain this year." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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