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

To: Anthony Wong who wrote (1723)	3/19/1999 12:35:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 2539

3/19 Brazil State Intervenes In Monsanto Biotech Soy Crop SAO PAULO (Dow Jones)--Brazil's southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul intervened on a 460 hectare-plantation run by Monsanto do Brasil Ltda. where seeds of the "Roundup Ready" soybeans were being grown, state officials said Friday. "We had to intervene in the area because the crop is at a very advanced stage, nearing harvest time," a spokeswoman for Rio Grande do Sul's agriculture secretary told Dow Jones Newswires. She said the intervention mean the crop is now under the state's supervision, and its harvesting will be closely monitored by Rio Grande do Sul technicians. "After harvesting, the seeds could be destroyed," she said. Earlier in the week, Rio Grande do Sul state notified Monsanto that the plantation was running under irregular conditions. All companies working on research involving genetically modified organisms must obtain a license from the executive branch of the state. This measure was adopted March 3 in a decree signed by governor Olivio Dutra, of the leftist Workers' Party. Thursday, Monsanto acknowledged to Dow Jones Newswires that it had received state notification to provide a certificate of biological safety issued by the National Technical Commission for Biological Safety (CTNBio), of the Science and Technology Ministry, besides an environmental inspection statement. Monsanto do Brasil is the Brazilian subsidiary of U.S.'s agribusiness and chemicals conglomerate Monsanto Co (MTC). It plans to market widely in Brazil its "Roundup Ready" soybeans seeds from mid-1999. Monsanto developed the "Roundup Ready" soybeans to resist its herbicide of the same name, which is already planted in leading soybean growers, the U.S., and Argentina. Monsanto officials weren't immediately available to comment on the intervention. Rio Grande do Sul state has 59 research areas planted with genetically modified crops in the state, and all are being inspected, the spokeswoman said. This is the first state to lay down specific regulation for biotechnology products at a local level. It's a major producer of soybeans, rice, wheat, and corn. Rio Grande do Sul's intervention at Monsanto's plantation coincided with the withdrawal Tuesday of the company's application with the Brazilian federal government for the intellectual protection property of the "Roundup Ready" seed. In September, Brazil's National Technical Commission for Biological Safety, known as CTNBio, approved a request by Monsanto to produce genetically modified soybeans. However, CTNBio's approval means commercial production of these soybeans depends on the approval of the agriculture ministry, and probably the environment ministry as well. Monsanto's spokeswoman said Thursday that Rio Grande do Sul state's demands won't thwart the mid-1999 target for launching "Roundup Ready" seeds for commercial use. Monsanto expects between 2% and 4% of Brazil's 2000 soy crop area will be composed of genetically altered seeds. This will be the equivalent of 300,000-400,000 hectares from the total area, if it remains unchanged from the current acreage of nearly 13 million hectares. -By Mara Lemos; (5511) 813-1988; mlemos@ap.org (END) DOW JONES NEWS 03-19-99 10:47 AM

To: Anthony Wong who wrote (1723)	3/19/1999 12:36:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2539

3/19 E.U. Plans BST Dairy Hormone Ban Proposal Within Months BRUSSELS (Dow Jones)--The European Union Commission said Friday that it'll probably put forward a proposal in the next few months on whether the E.U. should lift its 1994 ban on the use of a growth hormone called synthetic bovine somatotropin (BST). A proposal by the Commission, the E.U. executive branch, on the ban could come as early as September, Commission spokesman Gerard Kiely said. The ban is due to expire Dec. 31, 1999. Any proposal to extend the ban or let it expire would have to be approved by E.U. countries. "In the next few months we will probably put forward a proposal," Kiely said. "We will be taking account of the latest scientific evidence and all other data." Kiely said it's too early to determine if the Commission will recommend renewing the ban, but he said that doubts cast upon the safety of BST by an E.U. veterinary committee will be looked at closely. An E.U. agriculture official said that all 15-E.U. member states will probably push to renew the ban. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that the U.K. has been the only country reluctant to renew the ban, but that the latest scientific evidence may make the difference. "We've now got a stronger scientific basis than in the past," the official said. "In the past we weren't on solid ground." The E.U. Scientific Committee on Veterinary Measures Relating to Public Health said this week that milk from cows treated with synthetic BST may cause cancer. Injection of the synthetic hormone into cows could mean consumers are exposed to "an increased relative risk of breast and prostate cancer," according to a summary of the report released by the veterinary committee. Synthetic BST, which stimulates milk production in dairy cows, is produced by inserting genes from cows into microscopic organisms, which then reproduce the hormone. It is widely used in U.S. dairy herds. The main producers of the BST hormone are U.S.-based firms Monsanto Corp. (MTC) and Eli-Lily & Co. (LLY). Monsanto said Thursday that the carcinogenic effects of BST have "been thoroughly studied and dismissed" by the World Health Organization, the American Cancer Society, the U.S. National Institutes of Health and other regulatory bodies. -By Martin Boer; 32-2-285-0131; mboer@ap.org (END) DOW JONES NEWS 03-19-99 10:49 AM