Seed giant Monsanto challenges German ban on GM corn

04 May 2009

Genetic seed multinational Monsanto has filed a suit at the administrative court in Braunschweig seeking legal action against the German government's ban on the company's genetically modified corn.

The court is expected to give its judgement in the lawsuit by mid-May, so that farmers can proceed with planting of their crop.

Monsanto filed the law suit after the German government imposed a ban on the cultivation of MON810, a strain of genetically modified corn that the firm produces. Berlin claims its ban had been based on environmental concerns, although Monsanto insists that the product, which has been approved by the EU, is safe to use.

Germany thus became the sixth European country after Austria, France, Greece, Hungary and Luxembourg to ban the cultivation of the modified corn seed MON810.

The ban has been imposed despite pressure from the European Commission to allow its use. The EC had approved the use of the GM maize over a decade ago, although only seven of the 27 EU nations have allowed cultivation of the MON810 since 2005.

EC had also cleared the GM maize seed, which Monsanto claims is designed to resist pests, more than a decade ago. The seed, however, is cultivated in only seven of the European bloc's 27 member countries. Germany farmers were growing the MON810 corn since 2005.