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

To: John F Beule who wrote (885)	1/15/1999 3:00:00 PM
From: John F Beule	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2539

These foriegn countries have sure been getting rightuous lately! France Bans Use of Bayer's Gaucho Pesticide on Sunflower Seeds Paris, Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) -- France's Agriculture Ministry banned the use of one of Bayer AG's best-selling pesticides on sunflower seeds until the world's sixth-biggest maker of crop- protection products shows that the product doesn't kill bees. The pesticide, sold under the names Gaucho, Admire, Confidor and Provado, is applied directly to seeds to cut the number of times an adult crop must be sprayed. The French government said the ban is a temporary one as it awaits more information from Germany's Bayer. The decision follows a government panel report that found there could be a correlation between the use of Gaucho in sunflower seeds and the death of bees living nearby. Even if the ban is maintained, though, it will affect only a fraction of the sales of Gaucho, which is sold in about 80 countries to protect as many as 60 different seed types. The product had sales of $417 million in 1997. ''The decision aims at limiting the risk of exposure for bees to Gaucho's negative effects as (the government) awaits complementary information,'' the government said in a statement. Sunflower seeds absorb Gaucho's active ingredient, imidacloprid, which then interrupts the transmission of impulses in the nervous systems of pests such as aphids ''so that their voracity ultimately leads to their death,'' according to Bayer. It doesn't kill ladybugs or spiders, Bayer said. In response to the ban, Bayer said in a statement that independent French studies have shown Gaucho, when used as directed, ''has no negative effect'' on bees or honey production. The French Agriculture Ministry also said it is conducting research to determine whether other, unrelated, factors could be causing the bees' death. 12:54:08 01/15/1999 Any redistribution of Bloomberg content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Bloomberg L.P. Any reference to the material must be properly attributed to Bloomberg News. The information herein was obtained from sources which Bloomberg L.P. and its suppliers believe reliable, but they do not guarantee its accuracy. Neither the information, nor any opinion expressed, constitutes a solicitation of the purchase or sale of any securities or commodities.(C) Copyright 1999 Bloomberg L.P. BLOOMBERG, Bloomberg News, Bloomberg Financial Markets, Bloomberg Television, Bloomberg News Radio are trademarks, tradenames and service marks of Bloomberg L.P.