German GM giant to exploit opening in Britain's relaxed environmental laws


By Leo Lewis, Independent on Sunday

17 March 2002
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/story.jsp?story=275287

Bayer, the German chemicals and drugs giant, has struck a deal that
allows it to move its genetically modified (GM) crop field-testing
programme out of Germany and into Britain.

The strategy, which has been described by green lobby groups as
"opportunist and cynical", has highlighted the discrepancies between
environmental laws in different EC member countries, with the UK
figuring as among the most relaxed.

Bayer's GM food strategy took a huge step forward in the latter part of
last year when the group successfully won a Û7.25bn (pounds 4.5bn) bid
to buy the French GM food group Aventis CropScience. Apart from being
the biggest deal in Bayer's corporate history, the acquisition -
expected to receive regulatory approval within weeks - turns the German
group into the world's largest GM food company.

But as the group itself acknowledges, Bayer's purchase coincides with a
major tightening of German environmental laws. Under significant
domestic pressure from a strong green lobby, the German government is on
the brink of finalising legislation that would ban all field-tests of GM
crops in the country.

But Aventis CropScience has already organised a series of 66 field tests
through the UK in the course of 2002, producing data that will now come
directly to Bayer. The group defends the tests on the grounds that
biotechnology researchers still need to find out more about plants and
insects in a real environment.

Environmental concern groups have condemned Bayer's actions, which
effectively allow the German group to take advantage of the sluggishness
of British environmental protection laws.

Greenpeace spokesman, Lindsay Keenan, also accused GM groups such as
Bayer of pushing through field testing in an attempt to take the level
of contamination beyond the point of no return.

"The game being played by the GM companies is to create a level of
contamination before legislation catches up with them. Then they will be
able to call GM crops a fait accompli."