PRESS RELEASE
For immediate distribution
5th October 1999

Friends of the Earth Europe (FoEE) has indicated its scepticism following a pledge by Monsanto's chief executive, Robert Shapiro, in a letter to the Rockefeller Foundation, not to commercialize "Terminator" (1) seed technology for the time being.

There are several reasons not to greet the announcement with unreserved enthusiasm, according to Gill Lacroix of FoEE's Biotchnology Programme in Brussels. "First, Monsanto does not actually have the possibility to proceed with commercialization anyway, since they have not yet completed their acquisition of the Delta and Pine Land company (2) which owns the patent", she said. "Second, Monsanto has merely said that they won't proceed at this point in time, which does not rule out its doing so in the coming months and years. And, third, it's important not to lose sight of the fact that other multi-national companies, such as Novartis and Astra Zeneca, have also developed the same technology and are intending to take out patents on stacks of different seed varieties in dozens of countries."

FoEE considers the Monsanto statement more as a public relations exercise, at a time when the company has come under heavy criticism from various quarters, rather than a real commitment not to undermine biodiversity and agriculture in developing countries. According to FoEE, Monsanto and the other agro-biotech companies are having a particularly hard time at the moment, in light of huge public opposition to

genetically modified (GM) food which took root in Europe and is now spreading fast in the United States. "With the worldwide demand for non-GM crops growing all the time, it's anticipated that non-GM crops from this year's harvest will fetch a higher price than GM crops in the US" (3), said Lacroix. "Consequently, farmers who had been persuaded by agro-biotch companies that GM agriculture was the way to go in the future are now having serious doubts, and are considering reverting to conventional crops (4). That itself is more welcome news than potentially empty promises from Monsanto".

Notes to editors:
(1) "Terminator" and "Traitor" technologies involve production of genetically modified seeds which are sterile, or result in plants which die, unless treated with particular chemicals.
(2) Monsanto's purchase of seed-breeder Delta and Pine Land, announced last year, is still awaiting regulatory approval in the United States.
(3) In August, one of the biggest grain traders, Archer Daniels Midland, advised US farmers to segregate GM and non-GM crops.
(4) The American Corn Grower's Association has indicated that it expects US farmers to sow 25% less GM maize next year, reversing a prediction of a 25% increase.