Commenting on Monsanto’s withdrawal of applications for the cultivation of seven genetically modified (GM) crops in Europe, Mute Schimpf, food campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe said: “There is no market for GM crops in Europe: the public don’t want them, farmers don’t want them. With biotech companies rushing one by one for the exit it’s time to plough all our resources into ensuring the green and fair farming that European citizens demand – farming that protects nature and encourages a vibrant community.”
“However, Monsanto’s toxic presence in Europe has not gone away. They still plan to grow their main GM crop in Europe, seek to widen their control over conventional seeds and increase their sales of chemicals that pollute the countryside and our bodies.”