Monsanto gives up fight for GM plants in Europe

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LateX'Dog

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The world's largest producer of seeds, Monsanto, has apparently given up on attempts to spread its genetically modified plant varieties in Europe. A German media report said the firm would end all lobbying for approval.

The world's largest producer of seeds, Monsanto, has apparently given up on attempts to spread its genetically modified plant varieties in Europe. A German media report said the firm would end all lobbying for approval.

The German newspaper "taz" reported Friday that US agriculture behemoth Monsanto had dropped any plans to have farmers grow its genetically modified (GM) plant varieties in Europe.

Monsanto Europe spokesman Brandon Mitchener was quoted as saying the company would no longer engage in any lobbying fur such plants on the continent, adding that at the moment the firm was unwilling to apply for approval of any GM plants.
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http://www.dw.de/monsanto-gives-up-fight-for-gm-plants-in-europe/a-16851701

Being a very sceptical person, i don't believe this completely, but i hope to god its true and if it is, this is a MASSIVE win for all.
 
Nothing, in theory, but Monsanto's methods of genetic engineering are extremely crude and their patent/copyright enforcement and litigation practices are barbaric.
 
I'm not entirely convinced of the long term (environmental - not food) safety but the EU's position isn't based on science, more populist policy and protectionism. It's not like mankind hasn't got a long, long history of disrupting ecosystems with alien species, who cares if we made the new species in a lab or not?

If the EU would allow wider imports of food stuff (not living plants, seed) it would be a boon for exporters of the developing world as well as poor consumers in Europe.
 
What's the difference between these guys and the modified variants our own scientists are coming up with?
Was it country file the other night that featured some wheat that was cross bread to provide more per plant and has a hardier species? They too were wanting to get it out there for farmers, I think it was also scientists that worked for the seed bank that was wanting this too.
 
Telescopi said:
I'm not entirely convinced of the long term (environmental - not food) safety but the EU's position isn't based on science, more populist policy and protectionism. It's not like mankind hasn't got a long, long history of disrupting ecosystems with alien species, who cares if we made the new species in a lab or not?

If the EU would allow wider imports of food stuff (not living plants, seed) it would be a boon for exporters of the developing world as well as poor consumers in Europe.
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Not necessarily true, especially regarding Monsanto, who have in various countries basically banned farmers from using seed from previous years to grow crops for the next year doe to IP. It's basically stopped farmers in the US doing it and now developing nation farmers are getting into trouble as well. Monsanto want all farmers to have to buy seed from them every year, if they keep seed to grow the next year they may end up with a big fine if they are found to be doing so. It's worse because the gene can spread to conventional farmers crops next door... So those farmers in poor countries have to buy seed each year, substantially increasing costs...


http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/may/31/genetically-modified-wheat-us-monsanto?INTCMP=SRCH Oops..
 
ash_scotland88 said:
What's the difference between these guys and the modified variants our own scientists are coming up with?
Was it country file the other night that featured some wheat that was cross bread to provide more per plant and has a hardier species? They too were wanting to get it out there for farmers, I think it was also scientists that worked for the seed bank that was wanting this too.
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From what I've read about Monsanto, they are the personification of evil.

Once they have been operating in an area a little while, they enter legal proceedings against all other farmers in that area, on the basis that their GM crops are being cross pollinated with local crops, which violates their patents and copyrights. They don't need to win the case, they basically bankrupt the farmers with an army of lawyers. Then they buy their farms. Eventually they are the only player in that area. Rinse and repeat all over the US.

Not only that, but they are engineering their plants to be infertile, so you have to keep buying seeds directly from them.
 
Also some evidence that spraying all your GM crops with roundup may lead to ingestion of the same, which may apparently be responsible for the huge increases in IBS etc. that we've seen in the last few years - due to killing intestinal flora.
 
ash_scotland88 said:
What's the difference between these guys and the modified variants our own scientists are coming up with?
Was it country file the other night that featured some wheat that was cross bread to provide more per plant and has a hardier species? They too were wanting to get it out there for farmers, I think it was also scientists that worked for the seed bank that was wanting this too.
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Monsanto use genetic engineering methods to insert a desired trait into a specific crop. These traits usually come from separate species that cannot naturally cross breed. To get around the problem they directly muck around "under the hood" adding or deleting DNA.

The research shown on Country File the other week uses traditional crossbreeding techniques.
 
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