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Biotech / Medical : Monsanto Co. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dan Spillane who wrote (2283)	7/15/1999 6:21:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2539

Biotech Companies Caused Backlash in Europe: Bloomberg Forum Bloomberg News July 15, 1999, 5:39 p.m. ET Biotech Companies Caused Backlash in Europe: Bloomberg Forum Des Moines, Iowa, July 15 (Bloomberg) -- The agricultural biotechnology industry moved too fast and too clumsily in Europe, leading to some of the negative publicity over genetically engineered food, said Charles S. Johnson, chairman and chief executive of Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. In an interview in his Des Moines office, Johnson told the Bloomberg Forum that the industry has failed to recognize that Europe's culture is significantly different than that of the U.S. While the U.S. government approved use of genetically modified corn, soybeans and other crops, Europeans have delayed approval amid a firestorm of consumer opposition to the technology. British tabloids dubbed the crops ''Frankenstein food.'' ''We were insensitive to the value system relative to food in Europe, and it is different than the U.S. value system. We value productivity in agriculture and the lower cost of food. In Europe, food is a social experience,'' Johnson said. Pioneer, the world's largest seed company, markets genetically modified seed corn. It has agreed to sell to DuPont, the largest U.S. chemical company, in a deal expected to be closed within three months. Johnson also noted the influencing factor of European food- safety crises, beginning with the so-called mad cow disease in the U.K. in 1996 and more recently an outbreak of dioxin-tainted chicken in Belgium. ''Europe has had a number of food scares, which has enhanced their sensitivity to accepting the unknowns. Those created a very complicated set of marketing and political issues we have to work our way through.'' Proving a Negative None of this has made it easy for Pioneer, DuPont, or other companies, such as Monsanto Co. of St. Louis, which have all faced a public relations disaster in Europe. ''There's a discussion going on over what the industry might do to educate the public,'' said Johnson, ''but I think it's going to be a very difficult process to move forward. We are in essence being asked to prove a negative and prove there is absolutely no risk. It's very difficult to convince people there is no risk.'' So far, the genetic crops have included plants that can withstand greater doses of herbicides or are more resistant to pests. Eventually, Pioneer and other companies want to create seeds that would benefit consumers, including enhancing health benefits of certain foods by altering gene traits. ''It is going to require bringing forth a set of products that have real value to the consumer,'' Johnson said. Europe is an important market, Johnson said. The European Union is the second-largest market for U.S. after North America, with U.S. companies shipping $8.3 billion worth of products last year.