Monsanto Sues Germany Over GM Banned Corn

Monsanto Seeds Banned in Germany

Last week, FriendsEat’s Shari Ilsen reported Germany’s Minister of Agriculture banned the cultivation and sale of Monsanto’s (MON 810 maize) genetically modified maize. In response, Monsanto has filed suit against the German government’s decision on Tuesday. A Monsanto spokesman said Germany’s action was an “arbitrary ban” that violated EU rules. “They are in conflict with EU rules.” Reuters reports the lawsuit, filed in the administrative court in Braunschweig in northern Germany, was first reported by the Handelsblatt newspaper.

As Shari pointed out, many scientists have cautioned of a possibility that the pollen from these GM plants crosses boundaries and destroys the native crops in other areas. Germany is the 6th country to ban GM corn — France, Austria, Hungary, Luxembourg, and Greece all preceded Germany’s ban. Monsanto claims EU member states can invoke a safeguard clause against an already approved plant but such a move required new scientific evidence and none existed to support the ban.