It s the market, stupid
FOR a company that takes its public relations quite seriously, Monsanto is going through a particularly bad patch. From the 50 per cent cutback in sales of its genetically modified (GM) bovine growth hormone in late February (the company had violated sterility standards) to the court hearing in Chicago over price fixing and the withdrawal of GM canola from Australia. But none is bigger than the withdrawal of its Roundup Ready wheat programme. It was the first effort by a company to enter the GM market with a cereal crop. Although wheat was a minor part of Monsanto's financial and R&D portfolio, its symbolic importance was unmistakable. It meant GM going mainstream.
What also sets the roll-back apart