RT, May 31,
2013
The march against Monsanto, Germany. (Image from twitter user@@HarvestPM) |
Monsanto
plans to halt lobbying for its genetically modified plant varieties in Europe
due to low demand from local farmers, a representative from the US agricultural
giant told a German daily.
"We
are no longer working on lobbying for more cultivation in Europe," Brandon
Mitchner a representative for Monsanto’s European branch, Tageszeitung, said in
an interview set to be published on Saturday.
"Currently
we do not plan to apply for the approval of new genetically modified crops. The
reason is, among other things, low demand of the farmers,” he continued.
A
spokeswoman for Monsanto Germany, Ursula Luttmer-Ouazane, admitted that
Monsanto recognizes that GMO crops were currently not embraced on the European
market.
"We've
understood that such plants don't have any broad acceptance in European
societies," Luttmer-Ouazane said. “It is counterproductive to fight
against windmills," she added.
A
spokesperson for the German Ministry of Economy and Technologies described the
move as an “entrepreneurial decision” which needed no further comment. The
ministry added, however, it has long made its opposition to gene modification
technologies known.
"The
promises of the GM industry have not come true for European agriculture, nor
have they for the agriculture in developing and emerging economies," the
ministry said in a statement.
Eight
national governments in the European Union have already banned Monsanto's
MON810 maize and other forms of GMO cultivation in their countries under an
environmental protection provision known as the 'Safeguard Clause'.
Particularly
fierce protests in Germany prompted the government to introduce the measures in
2009 due to concerns that such cultivation could lead to ecological
degradation.
Monsanto’s
rivals, such as Bayer CropScience, BASF and Syngenta, had by and large pulled
out of the German market because of large-scale public opposition, the German
daily reported.
Austria,
Bulgaria, France, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg and most recently Poland are
among other EU member states enforcing the ban. In April, Italy joined the
ranks of EU states looking to ban the cultivation of GM crops on its soil.
The march against Monsanto, Germany. (Image from twitter user@Julia_etc) |
The
announcement comes amidst a series of recent public relations battles that have
brought the US firm considerable worldwide attention.
On
Wednesday, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it had conducted
genetic tests on wheat from an 80-acre farm in Oregon this past April. The
tests revealed the wheat was an experimental variety created by Monsanto that
had never been approved for sale.
The
discovery prompted Japanese authorities to cancel part of a tender offer to buy
US western white wheat and have suspended imports of both that variety and feed
wheat, while several other large importers of US-wheat throughout Asia said
they were closely monitoring the situation.
The
European Union for its part said it will test any incoming shipments, with
plans to block those containing GMO wheat.
The USDA
announcement followed a massive, global "March Against Monsanto" held
on Saturday that saw demonstrations against the Missouri-based firm in 52
countries. Organizers for the global
protest said around 2 million protesters showed up at rallies being held in 436
cities to protest against the seed giant and the genetically modified food.
The march against Monsanto, Munich. (Image from twitter user@nasimjo) |
Protesters make their point to Monsanto in Los Angeles, California,
May 25, 2013. Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
|
Related Articles:
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Monsanto and Genetically Modified Crops - Is there a cover-up?
Monsanto and Genetically Modified Crops - Is there a cover-up?
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