NEW STUDY FINDS MONSANTO SOYA MEANS MORE PESTICIDES IN THE ENVIRONMENT
Monsanto "…between misleading and dishonest"

4 May 2001

Amsterdam/London: One of the fundamental claims of the Genetic Engineering (GE) industry that their soya crops need less herbicides than conventional varieties has been seriously challenged by a new independent report, according to Greenpeace today. Previously unreleased data from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) prove that on average 11.4% more herbicides are used on Monsanto's Roundup Ready (RR) soya, than on conventional soya. In many cases the increase was up to 30%. (1)

In addition, the report by Dr Charles Benbrook, from the US Northwest Science and Environmental Policy Center, accuses Monsanto of manipulating comparative data on herbicide use on its Roundup Ready soya and conventional soybeans "in ways that fall between misleading and dishonest". Monsanto has based its claims of herbicide- reduction on a comparison between "traditional soybean varieties" and RR crops without explaining that these traditional varieties were a selected number of "old generation" types, which require high-dose rate herbicides.

"Yet again Monsanto has been exposed for telling convenient half-truths about its products. But the evidence is clear: far from improving the state of the environment by using less herbicides as the GE industry claims, the GE crops are causing even more pollution," said Geert Ritsema, Genetic Engineering Campaigner for Greenpeace.

The report also warns that various weeds are developing increased resistance to glyphosate, the main herbicide used on RR soy. As a consequence, the farmers have to use additional herbicides to boost the insufficient effect. Dr Benbrook estimates that the widespread cultivation of the GE soybeans can lead farmers to spray an additional 20 million pounds of herbicides on their crops this coming season.

The report also states that university research trials suggest that Monsanto's GE soya yields 5-10% less than similar conventional soya varieties.

"This study confirms that genetic engineering of farm crops means more chemicals in our environment. The likes of GE Roundup Ready soya have caused a stagnation in the development of environmentally sound agricultural practices and forced farmers to still rely on herbicide dependent systems. The GE crops can also contaminate conventional varieties diminishing the freedom of choice for farmers and consumers to select non-GE products," Ritsema added.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Geert Ritsema, Greenpeace Genetic Engineering Campaigner, Tel: +31 620246961
Isabelle Meister, Genetic Engineering Campaigner, Mob: +41 79418 4455

The USDA data is published in the report by Dr Charles Benbrook, the Northwest Science and Environmental Policy Center entitled "Troubled Times Amid Commercial Success for Roundup Ready Soybeans", available on:

http://www.biotech-info.net/troubledtimes.html.

(1) In 1998 in 16 soybean growing states in the US, an average total amount of 1.22 pounds of herbicides per acre was applied on GE Roundup Ready soybeans, whereas on an average 1.08 pounds of herbicide was applied on conventional soya varieties, which is 11.4 percent less than on RR soya. In six states, including Iowa where about one- sixth of the nation's soybeans are grown, total herbicide use on Roundup Ready soybeans was at least 30 percent greater on average compared to conventional varieties. Use on RR soybeans was modestly lower in five states.