- KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Reuters)
-- Monsanto on Monday said it was suspending plans to introduce what would
be the world's first biotech wheat, a product that has generated concerns
around the world about scientific tinkering with a key food crop.
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- Monsanto, whose shares moved lower Monday morning, said
it had reached the decision after "extensive consultation" with
customers in the wheat industry, and would continue to monitor the desire
for crop improvements to determine "if and when" it might be
practical to move forward.
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- St. Louis-based Monsanto has been doing field tests of
Roundup Ready wheat for six years. It has already commercialized Roundup
Ready corn and soybeans, and had hoped to spread the technology into the
vast wheat-growing industry, starting in the United States and Canadian
markets.
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- The company has been under fire from environmentalists,
farmer groups and some export trade experts for its plans to introduce
a spring wheat variety called Roundup Ready, which is tolerant of Monsanto's
Roundup herbicide.
-
- Opponents said the biotech crop would be moderately beneficial
to only a small segment of the wheat-growing industry, but could devastate
exports of all U.S. and Canadian wheat. Survey after survey done by export
officials has shown that foreign buyers were unwilling to risk alienating
their own customers by accepting biotech wheat supplies.
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- U.S. Wheat Associates, which markets American wheat abroad,
warned Monsanto that foreign opposition was strong. Its president, Alan
Tracy, said he was both disappointed and relieved by Monsanto's move.
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- "It's a shame when a promising scientific trait
is deferred because of nonscientific concerns," Tracy said. "Monsanto
is obviously responding to the same concerns that we've seen in the marketplace,
and we want to give them credit ... for recognizing the problems we would
face."
-
- Just two weeks ago, a group of grain industry players,
including the North American Millers' Association, sent a letter to Monsanto
CEO Hugh Grant expressing industry concerns and asking that Monsanto tread
carefully in its introduction.
-
- Several groups have sought moratoriums on a biotech wheat
introduction, and some foreign buyers have threatened to avoid purchasing
U.S. wheat if Monsanto's biotech wheat was introduced.
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- "I think it is a very wise decision," said
Louis Kuster, a North Dakota wheat farmer, referring to Monsanto's decision.
"Our foreign markets overwhelmingly did not want it and repeatedly
had told us they would seek other sources of supply. That would mean ruination
of the wheat market."
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- Monsanto said that so far in fiscal 2004 it had spent
less than $5 million on the Roundup Ready wheat project, and the plans
to shelve it would not change its forecast for fiscal-year 2004 earnings.
-
- The company said it would stop breeding and field research
of Roundup Ready wheat and focus instead on work on Roundup Ready cotton
and an improved soybean oil.
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- © Copyright 2004, Lycos, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,63403,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_8
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- Comment
From Ken
- 5-11-4
-
- Hi Jeff,
-
- As always, great interview with David Icke! Thank you
for continuing to have him on your show - as well as the other tremendous
researchers.
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- Don't know if you saw "The X-Files" movie a
few years ago. In the film there is the premise that the alien virus will
be spread through the pollinated corn. A friend was over recently and we
watched the film and afterward talked about how interesting it would be
if some similar idea were ultimately behind the proliferation of GM crops.
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- Today, on your web site, I read the article entitled:
Monsanto Backs Off GM Wheat. In the article the term "Roundup Ready"
is used, referring to corn and soybeans, ala Monsanto.
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- As I began to read this article, it occurred to me .....
"Roundup Ready" ... that could mean many things and not just
what it sounds like. It could mean this: We, the sheeple, eat the GM Roundup
Ready crop - whatever it is. They, The Powers (that think they) Be, spray
us-not the crops-with God knows what in the chemtrails. Something in the
chem mix combines with whatever is hiding in the GM crops and Voila - you
have Roundup Ready Sheeple: Dumbed-down, obedient, no original thought,
no plans, no health, no memory, no sense of outrage .... in other words:
willing, stupified, moronic slaves. Perfect! And ..... Ready to be Round(ed)
up!
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- Thanks for all you do, Jeff and God bless (if I can say
that)
- Ken C.
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- The following document was sent as an embedded object
but not referenced by the email above:
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