ヨーロッパにおけるGMの事業は、社会的な拒絶反応を逃げる
GM's business in Europe flees social rejection
BASF latest research company moves to America
El negocio de transgénicos huye de Europa por el rechazo social
Basf, última compañía que desplaza la investigación a América
Juan Gómez / Rafael Méndez Berlin / Madrid 18 ENE 2012 - 00:01 CET
GM's business in Europe flees social rejection
BASF latest research company moves to America
Juan Gomez / Rafael Méndez Berlin / Madrid 18 ENE 2012 - 00:01 CET
Europe is not the continent to GM. The social and political rejection in many countries the EU has left far behind in this field. And the announcement that the German company BASF U.S. travel to South America and most of his research on GM is the latest sign of the victory of environmentalists and consumer groups in this tough battle. Of the major industry, only Bayer maintains research centers in Europe.
The German chemical giant BASF justified its decision on the low demand for these products in Europe. According to spokeswoman Julie Meder, the multinational will continue its genetic research in the Americas. BASF closed its three laboratories with subsequent genetic redundancy and moved its headquarters Limburgerhof Biotechnology (Rhineland) to Raleigh (North Carolina).
Genetically modified products "are not sufficient acceptance in Europe" to justify the investment. Only Spain, he says, "is apparently exception." But overall "The European market is too reluctant" to make it profitable.
The company has invested 1,000 million in R & D over the last 15 years
In 2004 the Swiss Syngenta made a similar decision. As Monsanto, Dow and Dupont not maintain research centers in Europe, that implies that large firms Bayer maintains only sector in the EU institutions.
Carel du Marchie Sarvaas, director of European Biotechnology Bio sector business association, believes that the situation is disastrous. "We talk about jobs for PhDs, well paid, and European companies are the U.S. lead. It's the typical thing that should give pause to the people. " BASF does not offer investment figures canceled, but says it has investigated more than worth 1,000 million euros in the last 15 years.
The difficulties of implementation in Europe not so much due to legal restrictions for research and cultivation as consumer rejection. A Eurobarometer 2010 survey found 16,000 increased opposition to GMOs: had risen from 57% in 2005 to 61%. Meanwhile, support fell from 27% to 23% (in Spain of 66% in 1996 to 35%). "Unlike industry and scientists, Europeans believe that GMOs offer no benefits and are unsafe," he said. That, despite the fact that in the nearly two decades of use of GMOs to the World Health Organization (WHO) has endorsed its safety. Then just six countries grew GM: Spain (leading pest resistant maize drill), the Czech Republic, Portugal, Romania, Poland and Slovakia. In Europe there were only about 100,000 hectares, compared with 134 million worldwide.
Of the five large firms
Bayer has only innovationon the continent
The situation is such that France, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Austria, Luxembourg and Bulgaria have banned maize grown in Spain. And there are others like Austria consistently vote against the opinion of the European Food Safety Agency. In the U.S. and in developing countries, however, there is much less debate. Carlos Vicente, Director of Biotechnology at Monsanto for Spain, says the European slowdown will not affect global development, "Major countries in the production of agricultural commodities, such as Canada, USA, Brazil, Argentina, China and India, for example continue to advance the development of agricultural biotechnology. "
2010 BASF succeeded in cultivating a license transgenic potato. Are genetically modified (the firm called "improved") to contain more starch for industrial use than a normal potato. That triggered a wave of protests in Germany.
The Amflora potato cultivation has reached a state legally east. The regional government ordered their confiscation when it emerged that in Sweden had grown between potato Amflora other unlicensed modified. BASF agricultural products marketed directly, but collaborates with companies such as Monsanto and Bayer. With them develop modified seeds, which come to market through these partners.
Removal of chemical giant has generated
a great political debate in Germany
The withdrawal of the continent BASF yesterday generated a political debate in Germany. DFDP liberals lamented the "loss to the scientific development". The policy "has failed to stem a stream of unscientific thinking and divorced from reality," they said. Parliamentarians of the Greens, however, claimed that the decision of BASF was due merely to "commercial fiasco" of its agricultural products.
Environmentalists welcomed the announcement as a victory: "BASF's decision is a warning to companies like Monsanto, Syngenta and Bayer, who are pushing to introduce GM crops in Europe. The example shows that BASF will force consumers and the vast majority of farmers, not even economically viable, "he said in a statement FoE.
The CSIC Research Professor Pere Puigdomènech believes that BASF withdrawal "can be seen as an environmental victory or a loss for Europe, because biotechnology applied to food is not going to stop. Brazil, for example, has made a U.S. Jewish discussion transgenic and now the approval of alfalfa. " Puigdomenech highlights another aspect, that losing the investigation, the EU also loses control "million tons are imported transgenic grain but we can not control whether they produce other and we have the technology."
BASF最新の調査会社はアメリカに移動
フアン·ゴメス/ラファエル·メンデスベルリン/マドリード18 ENE 2012 - 午後12時01分CET
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