France: No Monsanto GM maize seed in 2012

Monsanto will not be selling seeds for their GM maize MON810 in France this year, the company has revealed. The statement came after an announcement of the French Government, which seeks to extend the ban on the cultivation despite a ruling in the French courts that the current ban was under the wong EU legislation, GM Freeze reports. Monsanto had originally challenged the ban first introduced in 2008 because of concerns about the safety of the maize for health and the environment.

"The decision by Monsanto not to market MON810 seeds in France in 2012 is yet another sign that Monsanto has failed to convince the public or policy makers that there is any benefit to growing to growing GM crops. This needs to be acknowledged by industry and politicians and there should be a big shift to agricultural research and development which addresses the future sustainability of farming in Europe. EU policy needs to forget about the bottom line of biotech corporations and focus on developing agro-ecological farming which provides for the needs of farmers, consumers, the environment and future generations," Pete Riley of GM Freeze comments.

GM Freeze