A poppy grows in a wheat field
Monsanto's announcement that it is dropping GM wheat is a very significant development in the global GM debate. The company had been seeking to introduce the crop in the US, Canada and Africa in the short term, and eventually around the world.
GM wheat was meant to be Monsanto's next big thing, but like most other GM crops it looks destined for the scrap heap. Monsanto failed to convince even the most die-hard GM supporters that GM wheat was worth the risk. Farmers, exporters and millers were sceptical about the crop.
For the past six years, Monsanto tried to get its 'Roundup Ready' wheat - which is modified to be resistant to a widely-used weedkiller - approved for commercialisation by the European Union. Each attempt failed.
In a survey of countries willing to accept GM wheat by the US Department of Agriculture, only four - Peru, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Yemen - said they would buy it. According to the Canadian Wheat Board, 87 per cent of Canadian wheat buyers now require non-GM certification of wheat.
Announcing defeat this week, Monsanto claimed it would now concentrate on research into GM corn, cotton and oilseeds. Yet just days later, the company decided to terminate an Australian breeding program for GM oil seed rape.
In 2003, Monsanto sold its cereal division and withdrew its development of pharmaceutical crops. Monsanto is the biggest GM company in the world. Its competitor, Bayer recently announced it would not seek to grow its GM Chardon LL maize in the UK. Meanwhile, our global fight against GM soya has also met with success - Venezuela recently banned GM, shredding a contract with Monsanto to plant 500,000 acres of Roundup Ready soya.
Visit the GM weblog, featuring updates from around the world, for more.
