Guest guest Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 I received this in the mail today: ............. In a move that opens the door to the aggressive marketing of biotech fruits and vegetables, Monsanto has agreed to purchase Seminis, the world's largest producer of fruit and vegetable seeds, for about $1 billion. Monsanto seems to be downplaying the significance of this move in relation to genetically engineered fruits and vegetables. In a somewhat coy statement, their chief executive officer, Hugh Grant, stated " In the long term, there may be opportunities in biotech. " Many activists feel this is a gross understatement and that Monsanto will push hard to bring genetically engineered vegetables and fruits out sooner rather than later. Some insiders speculate that Monsanto wants to get a significant variety of biotech crops into the marketplace quickly while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations are still incredibly lax. Until recently, a significant focus of Monsanto was to move forward on the introduction of genetically engineered wheat. However, U.S. and international opposition to biotech wheat caused the company to shelve those plans in the short term. Some feel this new grandiose move by Monsanto into the fruit and vegetable market is a strategic move to gain broader acceptance of biotech crops. They feel Monsanto will then again try to move forward with genetically engineered wheat. Monsanto is considered by many to be one of the world's most controversial companies. The company has faced numerous legal charges over the years that continue even in recent days. In 2001, Monsanto was found guilty of releasing tons of PCBs into the city of Anniston, Alabama and covering up its actions for decades. The jury found Monsanto liable on all six charges it considered: negligence, wantonness, suppression of the truth, nuisance, trespass and outrage. Under Alabama law, the charge of " outrage " requires conduct " so outrageous in character and extreme in degree as to go beyond all possible bounds of decency so as to be regarded as atrocious and utterly intolerable in civilized society. " Most recently, on January 6, 2005, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed two settled enforcement proceedings charging Monsanto with making illicit payments in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). It appears that Monsanto had bribed more than 140 current and former Indonesian government officials and their families by an amount totaling more than $700,000 between 1997 and 2002. The cash was paid to allow the company to develop genetically engineered crops in Indonesia. The SEC lawsuit charged Monsanto with violating the FCPA and imposed a civil penalty of $500,000. They also issued an administrative order finding that Monsanto violated the anti-bribery, books-and-records, and internal- controls provisions of the FCPA and ordered the company to cease and desist from such violations. Further, the U.S. Department of Justice filed criminal information charging that Monsanto violated the anti-bribery and books and records provisions of the FCPA. Monsanto agreed to pay a $1 million monetary penalty to defer prosecution charges by the Department of Justice. Considering the track record of Monsanto, you might think that the FDA would closely scrutinize any new genetically engineered crops the company plans to bring to market. But under current FDA regulations, Monsanto is not even required to notify the agency that they are bringing out a new genetically engineered crop (unless the nutrient value is significantly altered or the product contains a known allergen.) Apparently the FDA trusts Monsanto to do the right thing. Do you? Posted below are three articles about Monsanto's $1 billion purchase of Seminis. The first article from the Wall Street Journal is titled " Monsanto Co. to Pay $1 Billion For Produce-Seed Firm Seminis. " The second article from the Associated Press is titled " Monsanto to buy seed company Seminis in $1B deal. " And the third article from The New York Times is titled " Monsanto Buying Leader in Fruit and Vegetable Seeds. " Craig Winters President The Campaign PO Box 55699 Seattle, WA 98155 Tel: 425-771-4049 E-mail: label Web Site: http://www.thecampaign.org *************************************************************** Monsanto Co. to Pay $1 Billion For Produce-Seed Firm Seminis By SCOTT KILMAN Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL January 25, 2005 Monsanto Co., looking for places to grow after converting many of America's corn, soybean and cotton farms to biotechnology, agreed to buy Seminis Inc. for $1 billion in order to expand its sights to vegetables and fruit. The cost of the acquisition, which also calls for the assumption of an additional $400 million in debt, startled some investors. That's because, by some measures, the closely held Oxnard, Calif., company was valued at slightly more than $300 million in 2003, when a mountain of debt forced Seminis to go private. In New York Stock Exchange composite trading yesterday at 4 p.m., Monsanto traded at $54.10, off $3.62, or 6.3%. Monsanto executives yesterday defended the cost of the deal, its biggest since the late 1990s, arguing that while Seminis brings little in the way of biotechnology skills, it opens up new growth opportunities. Seminis, which has developed crops such as the baby carrot and the personal-size watermelon through conventional breeding, controls roughly one-third of the seed used to grow the fruits and vegetables found in most U.S. supermarkets. Cobbled together in the 1990s by Alfonso Romo Garza, a Mexican entrepreneur and Olympic horseman who hoped to become as dominant marketing vegetable seeds as Monsanto was with seeds for larger-scale crops, Seminis controls 23% of the world's tomato-seed market, 34% of the hot pepper-seed market and 38% of the cucumber-seed market. Executives at Monsanto, St. Louis, are playing down their interest in genetically modifying these sorts of crops anytime soon. Although U.S. consumers have largely accepted the presence in their groceries of genetically modified ingredients made from soybeans and corn, opinion research suggests that more shoppers would be leery if confronted with something they eat whole. Still, Monsanto executives made clear that they hope to genetically modify vegetables and fruit in the future, if the market conditions are right. Seminis " makes a great platform, " said Brett Begemann, the Monsanto executive vice president who will oversee the acquired company. The planned acquisition, which allows Monsanto to leapfrog DuPont Co. as the world's biggest marketer of conventional and genetically modified seed, is a new direction for Hugh Grant, who returned the company to popularity on Wall Street since becoming Monsanto's chief executive officer in May 2003 by cutting costs and narrowing its focus to a handful of crops. The wheat business was jettisoned, for example. Monsanto's stock price has roughly doubled during Mr. Grant's tenure. After years of cost cutting and retrenchment, Monsanto is eager to find new places to sell seed. Monsanto already saturates much of the American grain belt. Although the European Union is lifting its de-facto moratorium on genetically modified crops, the business of selling biotech seeds there will be negligible for the foreseeable future. Monsanto executives figure they can speed development of new vegetable varieties by Seminis by giving it access to technology such as molecular markers, which help plant breeders track desirable traits. Seminis, the world's biggest produce-seed firm, generated a net loss of $16.3 million on sales of $525.8 million in the fiscal year ended Sept. 30. *************************************************************** Monsanto to buy seed company Seminis in $1B deal ST. LOUIS (AP) - Agricultural biotechnology giant Monsanto (MON) said Monday it will buy vegetable and fruit seed company Seminis for roughly $1B in cash, broadening its portfolio of seeds and tapping into the trend of healthier diets. Monsanto said it will assume an additional $400 million in debt by Seminis, the supplier of more than 3,500 seed varieties to commercial fruit and vegetable growers, dealers, distributors and wholesalers in more than 150 countries. Monsanto - already staking more of its future on seeds that include genetically modified ones able to withstand weeds, insects and disease - said it also would make a performance-based payment of up to $125 million by the end of fiscal 2007. " The addition of Seminis will be an excellent fit for our company as global production of vegetables and fruits, and the trend toward healthier diets, has been growing steadily over the past several years, " said Hugh Grant, Monsanto's chairman, president and chief executive. Grant called 10-year-old Seminis, with sales of $526 million in its 2004 fiscal year, " uniquely positioned to capitalize on this fast-growing segment of agriculture and the acquisition likewise expands Monsanto's ability to grow. " Citing the pending acquisition, Monsanto pared its estimate for fiscal 2005 earnings to 86 cents to $1.06 a share, down from a previous range of $1.56 to $1.71. Analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call were expecting Monsanto's earnings of $2.05 a share. Pending regulatory approvals, Monsanto expects the deal to close sometime between March and May. The company said the deal should be accretive to earnings per share, cash flow and revenue growth in fiscal year 2006, its first full year of operation. The move comes two months after Monsanto's newly formed holding company American Seeds acquired the seed company Channel Bio for $120 million cash. Monsanto formed American Seeds to support regional seed businesses with capital, genetics and technology investments. Seminis will be a wholly owned Monsanto subsidiary, headed by its existing president and CEO. Monsanto said it expects to continue Seminis' focus on developing products using advanced breeding techniques, with biotech applications an option well down the road. That push comes as biotech crops are flourishing in the United States and taking root overseas, accounting for several tens of billions of dollars in crops in five leading countries, despite European resistance to the technology. Alfonso Romo, chairman and chief executive of Seminis, said " we are bringing a complementary technology base and specialized expertise that can not only support economic growth for farmers, but contribute to the health and nutrition of consumers on a global scale. " *************************************************************** January 25, 2005 Monsanto Buying Leader in Fruit and Vegetable Seeds The New York Times By ANDREW POLLACK In at least a temporary diversification away from genetically modified crops, Monsanto, the agribusiness company, agreed yesterday to pay about $1 billion to acquire Seminis, the world's largest producer of fruit and vegetable seeds. Until now, Monsanto has focused on corn, soybeans and cotton seeds, and on using genetic engineering to produce crops that are resistant to herbicides and insects. But executives said yesterday that Monsanto would develop new vegetable varieties using conventional breeding. They said the fruit and vegetable seed business could grow without biotechnology, based on a consumer movement toward healthier diets. " It's fine to dream, but you have to decide what you're going to do tomorrow morning, " Monsanto's chief executive, Hugh Grant, said about biotech fruits and vegetables during a conference call with analysts. " In the long term, there may be opportunities in biotech. " Some genetically engineered papaya and squash are on the market. The first biotech crop to be commercialized was the Flavr Savr tomato, developed by a biotechnology start-up that Monsanto acquired. But that tomato did not catch on. Now industry executives say it is difficult to bring new biotech fruits and vegetables to market because of consumer resistance. Also, fruits and vegetables are small crops, making it difficult to recoup development and regulatory costs. A few years ago, Monsanto decided to focus its biotech efforts on major crops. The acquisition comes as Monsanto has been shifting its business from agricultural chemicals to seeds and biotechnology. Over the last decade, it has aggressively acquired seed companies, mainly in the corn and soy business, igniting some concerns that the markets were becoming too concentrated. The new acquisition not only makes Monsanto the largest supplier of vegetable seeds in the world, but also, according to the company's calculations, the largest seed and biotech company over all. It would surpass DuPont, which owns the corn seed giant Pioneer Hi-Bred, in terms of revenues derived from seeds and biotech traits. Seminis, based in Oxnard, Calif., had sales last year of $526 million, with its leading products being tomato, cucumber, beans and pepper seeds. Its main brands are Seminis, Asgrow, Petoseed and Royal Sluis and it sells mainly to farmers, not gardeners. But, with partners, it has recently started to develop some consumer items, like the Bambino miniature watermelon and Lettuce Jammers, lettuce in the shape of a taco shell. Its main rivals in fruit and vegetable seeds are Syngenta of Switzerland and Limagrain of France. Less than 1 percent of Seminis's sales come from genetically modified seeds. Under the deal, Monsanto will pay about $1 billion in cash and assume $400 million in debt. It might also pay an additional sum of up to $125 million by the end of fiscal year 2007 based on the performance of Seminis. Seminis was started in 1994 by a Mexican entrepreneur, Alfonso Romo Garza, who decided to create a giant vegetable seed company by acquiring smaller ones. The company went public in 1999 at $15 a share, though Savia, a Mexican company affiliated with Mr. Romo, retained majority ownership. But the company suffered severe losses and in 2003, majority control was acquired for $3.78 a share by Fox Paine & Company, a buyout firm. Fox Paine, based in Foster City, Calif., paid $163 million for what is now a 58 percent stake in Seminis. New management helped spur growth and restore profits before special charges. Based on the $1 billion Monsanto is paying, Fox Paine will get about $580 million, the president and co-founder, Dexter Paine, said. Shares of Monsanto, which have nearly doubled in the last year, fell $3.62, or 6 percent, yesterday to $54.10, as investors seemed to be surprised by the size and price of the deal. " I think the market was expecting strategic acquisitions of the bolt- on variety, " like small corn-seed companies, said Kevin McCarthy, analyst at Banc of America Securities. " This deal is clearly in a different league. " Frank Mitsch, analyst at Fulcrum Global Partners, pointing to how much the price of Seminis has risen since Fox Paine bought it in 2003, said, " It does make one step back and wonder as to why this transaction didn't occur 18 months ago. " Monsanto has said that sales of its genetically modified soy, corn and cotton continue to grow, but that it has had trouble expanding genetic engineering to other crops. It dropped an effort to introduce genetically modified wheat last year after some American farmers said such an introduction might hurt exports. And its genetically modified grass for golf courses has run into opposition from environmental groups. With fruits and vegetables, it said, it will analyze genes in the crops to speed conventional breeding of improved varieties but would refrain for now from putting new genes into the crops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 This is very scary! Monsanto is pure evil and all of us need to do what we can to stop them! The FDA isn't listening and we need to get the public involved. The general public has resisted because they don't understand. My sister thought that Round-Up Ready vegetables meant that the veggies weren't sprayed with chemicals, when in fact it's the opposite! They are sprayed with Round-Up and don't die because of their new DNA make-up! How scary! It shocked her to learn that. I suppose in 20-50 years we'll really find out just what GMO is doing to our bodies and our soil. Monsanto has even tried to change the terms and conditions of certified organic to allow GMO foods to be labled organic. What a joke! Luckily this hasn't been passed, but they keep trying and keep pressing the FDA. We need to make sure that we put pressure on the FDA to stand up to them. Denise , " Judy " <jkyrala2> wrote: > > I received this in the mail today: > > ............ > > In a move that opens the door to the aggressive marketing of biotech > fruits > and vegetables, Monsanto has agreed to purchase Seminis, the world's > largest > producer of fruit and vegetable seeds, for about $1 billion. > > Monsanto seems to be downplaying the significance of this move in > relation > to genetically engineered fruits and vegetables. In a somewhat coy > statement, their chief executive officer, Hugh Grant, stated " In the > long > term, there may be opportunities in biotech. " > > Many activists feel this is a gross understatement and that Monsanto > will > push hard to bring genetically engineered vegetables and fruits out > sooner > rather than later. Some insiders speculate that Monsanto wants to > get a > significant variety of biotech crops into the marketplace quickly > while the > Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations are still incredibly > lax. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 http://www.patentlysilly.com/patent.php?patID=6835390 This is also VERY disturbing. What is the world coming to?!?! ~Mel --- organic_homestead <organic_homestead wrote: > > This is very scary! Monsanto is pure evil and all of > us need to do > what we can to stop them! The FDA isn't listening > and we need to get > the public involved. The general public has resisted > because they > don't understand. My sister thought that Round-Up > Ready vegetables > meant that the veggies weren't sprayed with > chemicals, when in fact > it's the opposite! They are sprayed with Round-Up > and don't die > because of their new DNA make-up! How scary! It > shocked her to learn > that. > > I suppose in 20-50 years we'll really find out just > what GMO is doing > to our bodies and our soil. > > Monsanto has even tried to change the terms and > conditions of > certified organic to allow GMO foods to be labled > organic. What a > joke! Luckily this hasn't been passed, but they keep > trying and keep > pressing the FDA. We need to make sure that we put > pressure on the > FDA to stand up to them. > > Denise > > , " Judy " > <jkyrala2> > wrote: > > > > I received this in the mail today: > > > > ............ > > > > In a move that opens the door to the aggressive > marketing of > biotech > > fruits > > and vegetables, Monsanto has agreed to purchase > Seminis, the > world's > > largest > > producer of fruit and vegetable seeds, for about > $1 billion. > > > > Monsanto seems to be downplaying the significance > of this move in > > relation > > to genetically engineered fruits and vegetables. > In a somewhat coy > > statement, their chief executive officer, Hugh > Grant, stated " In > the > > long > > term, there may be opportunities in biotech. " > > > > Many activists feel this is a gross understatement > and that > Monsanto > > will > > push hard to bring genetically engineered > vegetables and fruits out > > sooner > > rather than later. Some insiders speculate that > Monsanto wants to > > get a > > significant variety of biotech crops into the > marketplace quickly > > while the > > Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations are > still incredibly > > lax. > > > > > > > Mail - now with 250MB free storage. Learn more. http://info.mail./mail_250 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 Yeah, that's the way it works; Monsanto sells crops engineered to resist Roundup, the farmer plants them and just sprays everything with roundup every once in a while to kill the weeds. Monsanto is trying to make all those plants sterile as well, and in cases where they are not the purchase contract for the seeds forbids retaining any of the seeds from the crops for planting next year. In fact there was a case in Alberta where genetically engineered rapeseed (canola to the consumer) had started growing wild on a farmer's land so the farmer seized the opportunity to take that seed and use it; Monsanto sued him, and actually won, even though he had never been their customer and never had any agreement with them. Of course, this also brings up the point: the genetically engineered plant escaped into the environment. You can see where this is going; in some period of time, there will be enough Roundup resistant weeds that Monsanto can move on to the next step in the business plan and all the farmers will be forced to follow along. Meanwhile, a formerly useful weed killer has become useless. It's the same business plan successfully used by pharmaceutical manufacturers, and insectiside manufacturers before that. , " organic_homestead " <organic_homestead> wrote: > > This is very scary! Monsanto is pure evil and all of us need to do > what we can to stop them! The FDA isn't listening and we need to get > the public involved. The general public has resisted because they > don't understand. My sister thought that Round-Up Ready vegetables > meant that the veggies weren't sprayed with chemicals, when in fact > it's the opposite! They are sprayed with Round-Up and don't die > because of their new DNA make-up! How scary! It shocked her to learn > that. > > I suppose in 20-50 years we'll really find out just what GMO is doing > to our bodies and our soil. > > Monsanto has even tried to change the terms and conditions of > certified organic to allow GMO foods to be labled organic. What a > joke! Luckily this hasn't been passed, but they keep trying and keep > pressing the FDA. We need to make sure that we put pressure on the > FDA to stand up to them. > > Denise > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 29, 2005 Report Share Posted January 29, 2005 Yes, they do escape === remember the case with STAR corn -- it wasn't ever to be fed to humans. It ended up in some tortilla chips sold in my state. It was a long time before I even wanted to try corn again - I was sooooo sick. It took weeks to recover. Some things just shouldn't be done. , " gzuckier " <gzuckier> wrote: > > Yeah, that's the way it works; Monsanto sells crops engineered to > resist Roundup, the farmer plants them and just sprays everything > with roundup every once in a while to kill the weeds. Monsanto is > trying to make all those plants sterile as well, and in cases where > they are not the purchase contract for the seeds forbids retaining > any of the seeds from the crops for planting next year. In fact there > was a case in Alberta where genetically engineered rapeseed (canola > to the consumer) had started growing wild on a farmer's land so the > farmer seized the opportunity to take that seed and use it; Monsanto > sued him, and actually won, even though he had never been their > customer and never had any agreement with them. > Of course, this also brings up the point: the genetically engineered > plant escaped into the environment. You can see where this is going; > in some period of time, there will be enough Roundup resistant weeds > that Monsanto can move on to the next step in the business plan and > all the farmers will be forced to follow along. Meanwhile, a formerly > useful weed killer has become useless. It's the same business plan > successfully used by pharmaceutical manufacturers, and insectiside > manufacturers before that. > > > , " organic_homestead " > <organic_homestead> wrote: > > > > This is very scary! Monsanto is pure evil and all of us need to do > > what we can to stop them! The FDA isn't listening and we need to > get > > the public involved. The general public has resisted because they > > don't understand. My sister thought that Round-Up Ready vegetables > > meant that the veggies weren't sprayed with chemicals, when in fact > > it's the opposite! They are sprayed with Round-Up and don't die > > because of their new DNA make-up! How scary! It shocked her to > learn > > that. > > > > I suppose in 20-50 years we'll really find out just what GMO is > doing > > to our bodies and our soil. > > > > Monsanto has even tried to change the terms and conditions of > > certified organic to allow GMO foods to be labled organic. What a > > joke! Luckily this hasn't been passed, but they keep trying and > keep > > pressing the FDA. We need to make sure that we put pressure on the > > FDA to stand up to them. > > > > Denise > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 29, 2005 Report Share Posted January 29, 2005 I agree. The organic food companies are publishing the action alerts... you can sign up at http://thecampaign.org. Food companies like Lundberg and Eden and Spectrum. This is what they recommend doing right now: ...................... Three Basic Action Steps Step Number One: Mail a letter to your U.S. House Representative asking him or her to co-sponsor bill HR 2916, the " Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act. " We have created a form letter for you. All you need to do is print it out and mail it to your Representative's Washington, DC office, via the U.S. Postal Service. Step Number Two: Print out at least 10 additional form letters and give them to your friends and associates to mail to their Representative. Step Number Three: Go to our Tell A Friend web page and send an e- mail message to your friends and associates that informs them about this web site and asks them to mail a letter to their U.S. House Representative. ..................... You can also make donations - the small non-profits don't qualify for the larger grants. They have " Save organic " bumper stickers and pins. If you live in CA, Sen. Barbara Boxer is leading the fight there. She will introduce the Bill to the Senate if the House of Representative's version garners a reasonable level of support. Ralph Nader's groups are leading the legal battle in Washington, DC. , " organic_homestead " <organic_homestead> wrote: > > This is very scary! Monsanto is pure evil and all of us need to do > what we can to stop them! The FDA isn't listening and we need to get > the public involved. The general public has resisted because they > don't understand. My sister thought that Round-Up Ready vegetables > meant that the veggies weren't sprayed with chemicals, when in fact > it's the opposite! They are sprayed with Round-Up and don't die > because of their new DNA make-up! How scary! It shocked her to learn > that. > > I suppose in 20-50 years we'll really find out just what GMO is doing > to our bodies and our soil. > > Monsanto has even tried to change the terms and conditions of > certified organic to allow GMO foods to be labled organic. What a > joke! Luckily this hasn't been passed, but they keep trying and keep > pressing the FDA. We need to make sure that we put pressure on the > FDA to stand up to them. > > Denise > > , " Judy " <jkyrala2> > wrote: > > > > I received this in the mail today: > > > > ............ > > > > In a move that opens the door to the aggressive marketing of > biotech > > fruits > > and vegetables, Monsanto has agreed to purchase Seminis, the > world's > > largest > > producer of fruit and vegetable seeds, for about $1 billion. > > > > Monsanto seems to be downplaying the significance of this move in > > relation > > to genetically engineered fruits and vegetables. In a somewhat coy > > statement, their chief executive officer, Hugh Grant, stated " In > the > > long > > term, there may be opportunities in biotech. " > > > > Many activists feel this is a gross understatement and that > Monsanto > > will > > push hard to bring genetically engineered vegetables and fruits out > > sooner > > rather than later. Some insiders speculate that Monsanto wants to > > get a > > significant variety of biotech crops into the marketplace quickly > > while the > > Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations are still incredibly > > lax. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 29, 2005 Report Share Posted January 29, 2005 Groan. What REALLY bothers me are the companies putting animal tissues into vegetables. , Melissa Hill <assilembob> wrote: > http://www.patentlysilly.com/patent.php?patID=6835390 > > This is also VERY disturbing. What is the world coming > to?!?! > > ~Mel > > --- organic_homestead <organic_homestead> > wrote: > > > > > This is very scary! Monsanto is pure evil and all of > > us need to do > > what we can to stop them! The FDA isn't listening > > and we need to get > > the public involved. The general public has resisted > > because they > > don't understand. My sister thought that Round-Up > > Ready vegetables > > meant that the veggies weren't sprayed with > > chemicals, when in fact > > it's the opposite! They are sprayed with Round-Up > > and don't die > > because of their new DNA make-up! How scary! It > > shocked her to learn > > that. > > > > I suppose in 20-50 years we'll really find out just > > what GMO is doing > > to our bodies and our soil. > > > > Monsanto has even tried to change the terms and > > conditions of > > certified organic to allow GMO foods to be labled > > organic. What a > > joke! Luckily this hasn't been passed, but they keep > > trying and keep > > pressing the FDA. We need to make sure that we put > > pressure on the > > FDA to stand up to them. > > > > Denise > > > > , " Judy " > > <jkyrala2> > > wrote: > > > > > > I received this in the mail today: > > > > > > ............ > > > > > > In a move that opens the door to the aggressive > > marketing of > > biotech > > > fruits > > > and vegetables, Monsanto has agreed to purchase > > Seminis, the > > world's > > > largest > > > producer of fruit and vegetable seeds, for about > > $1 billion. > > > > > > Monsanto seems to be downplaying the significance > > of this move in > > > relation > > > to genetically engineered fruits and vegetables. > > In a somewhat coy > > > statement, their chief executive officer, Hugh > > Grant, stated " In > > the > > > long > > > term, there may be opportunities in biotech. " > > > > > > Many activists feel this is a gross understatement > > and that > > Monsanto > > > will > > > push hard to bring genetically engineered > > vegetables and fruits out > > > sooner > > > rather than later. Some insiders speculate that > > Monsanto wants to > > > get a > > > significant variety of biotech crops into the > > marketplace quickly > > > while the > > > Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations are > > still incredibly > > > lax. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Mail - now with 250MB free storage. Learn more. > http://info.mail./mail_250 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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