Reuters | December 14, 1999
ST. LOUIS - Life sciences firm Monsanto Co. said Tuesday that U.S. farmers would not turn away from biotech crops next year despite growing opposition to the technology in Europe and other parts of the world.
Monsanto, a leading producer of genetically modified corn, soybeans and cotton, said a recent survey of 2,000 U.S. growers showed that the number who intended to plant conventional seed varieties in 2000 had not changed significantly from 1999.
The company, which was named Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by biotech opponents, did not provide specific figures. But a Monsanto spokeswoman said about 26 percent of U.S. soybean growers surveyed said they planned not to use genetically modified seeds, little changed from last year's 25 percent.
Analysts have said farmers' planting decisions this spring will be critical to Monsanto, which generates a large portion of its profits from the genetically modified seeds.
"Until the seeds are in the ground, it is hard to speculate what the market might look like, but we are already seeing solid evidence from surveys and grain trader announcements that indicate to us that the biotech growth trend will continue," Brett Begemann, vice president of U.S. markets for St. Louis-based Monsanto, said in a statement.
Among the most popular seeds are those that were modified to resist pests or to withstand powerful herbicides. U.S. farmers this year planted genetically modified seeds on more than half of the soybean acreage and a third of the corn crop, according to U.S. Agriculture Department figures.
Critics of the technology contend that not enough long-term research has been done to conclude that it poses no environmental hazards and is safe for human consumption.
Opposition has been strongest in Britain but has also cropped in other parts of Europe, Asia and to a lesser degree in the United States.
A U.S. family farm group and longtime critic of biotech on Tuesday sued Monsanto, alleging that it sold genetically altered crops without first ensuring they were safe for consumers and the environment.
The crops have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which requires extensive testing.
Monsanto said 97 percent of the U.S. soybean growers surveyed who planted Monsanto's herbicide-tolerant Roundup Ready soybeans in 1999 were very or somewhat satisfied with the results. The company said 92 percent of those who planted Roundup Ready corn were very or somewhat satisfied.
Of the growers who planted pest-resistant corn, 83 percent were very or somewhat satisfied, Monsanto said.
The telephone survey, conducted by Marketing Horizons, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent, a Monsanto spokeswoman said.
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