Monsanto retreat continues in Australia

According to the Grains Council of Australia the controversial biotech giant Monsanto is to announce that it will shelve plans to introduce GE canola in Australia. The news comes just one day after Monsanto announced it would delay their Roundup Ready wheat program by several years.

Our GE campaigner in Australia, Jeremy Tager said: "GE canola has been the heart of Monsanto's commercial ambitions in Australia. In the last few months they have abandoned GE crops in the UK, abandoned research into GE pharmaceutical crops, yesterday abandoned GE wheat and now are abandoning GE canola in Australia. The writing is on the wall - no one wants GE."

The death of the program is a very clear message to the separate Bayer GE canola program in Australia that this technology is embraced by neither markets nor consumers.

Increasing opposition from consumers and farmers has been instrumental in achieving temporary bans on GE crops in several Australian states, most recently the state of Victoria decided in March 2004 to ban all GE food crops.

More Information

- Find our more about Canola in Australia

- Check out Australia's True Food Guide

- Learn more about the Network of Concerned Farmers

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