ST. LOUIS — Monsanto is withdrawing applications that would have allowed the planting of several varieties of bioengineered crops in the European Union. The withdrawal will cover applications for six varieties of corn in addition to single varieties of soybeans and sugar beets.
“We have decided to no longer pursue authorization in Europe and instead will focus on our conventional breeding business there, which has been very successful,” Brandon Mitchener, a Brussels-based spokesperson for Monsanto, told Milling & Baking News. “We’ll also focus on import license approvals to minimize trade flow disruptions.”
He said no bioengineered varieties have been approved in the E.U. since Monsanto’s MON810 corn variety in 1998.
The company is seeking renewal for MON810, a variety grown principally in Spain and Portugal. Seed companies other than Monsanto have 10 applications for bioengineered crops in process.