[Gen-Streitfall] Monsanto tritt vom gentechnisch veraenderten Weizen zurueck (10.05.04)

[Sabine]

Monsanto tritt vom gentechnisch veraenderten Weizen zurueck

Der US-amerikanische Konzern Monsanto hat heute angekuendigt, seine
Forschungsaktivitaeten neu zu ordnen und gentechnisch veraenderten
Weizen (resistent gegen das Breitband-Herbizid Roundup) nicht weiter zu
verfolgen. Die Entscheidung gilt weltweit. Die Entscheidung ist nach
einem Review auf die eigenen Forschungsaktivitaeten und Gespraechen mit
der Weizen-Industrie gefallen. Der Konzern werde seine Aktivitaeten erst
wieder aufnehmen, wenn andere Eigenschaften mit Hilfe der Biotechnologie
in Weizen eingebracht wurden. (GeNPost, eigene zusammenfassende
Uebersetzung, keine Haftung!)



Monsanto-Presse-Mitteilung


http://www.monsanto.com/monsanto/layout/media/04/05-10-04.asp


Monsanto to Realign Research Portfolio, Development of Roundup Ready
Wheat Deferred

Decision Follows Portfolio Review, Consultation with Growers

ST. LOUIS (May 10, 2004) - Monsanto announced today it is realigning
research and development investments to accelerate the development of
new and improved traits in corn, cotton, and oilseeds.  As part of this
realignment, the company is deferring all further efforts to introduce
Roundup Ready wheat, until such time that other wheat biotechnology
traits are introduced.  This decision was reached after a comprehensive
review of Monsanto's research investment portfolio and extensive
consultation with customers in the wheat industry.

"As a result of our portfolio review and dialogue with wheat industry
leaders, we recognize the business opportunities with Roundup Ready
spring wheat are less attractive relative to Monsanto's other commercial
priorities," said Carl Casale, executive vice president of Monsanto.
"Acreage planted in the spring wheat market in the United States and
Canada has declined nearly 25 percent since 1997, and even more in the
higher cost weed control target market for this product.  This
technology adds value for only a segment of spring wheat growers,
resulting in a lack of widespread wheat industry alignment, unlike the
alignment we see in other crops where biotechnology is broadly applied.
  These factors underscore the difficulty of bringing new technologies
to the wheat market at this time.

"We will continue to monitor the wheat industry's desire for crop
improvements, via breeding and biotechnology, to determine if and when
it might be practical to move forward with a biotech wheat product,"
Casale said.  "This decision allows us to defer commercial development
of Roundup Ready wheat, in order to align with the potential
commercialization of other biotechnology traits in wheat, estimated to
be four to eight years in the future."

Shifting resources away from Roundup Ready wheat enables Monsanto to
increase its research emphasis on stress tolerance and several improved
health profile vegetable oil traits.  Overall, Monsanto's biotechnology
research and development focuses on providing new solutions in the areas
of yield improvement and stress tolerance, agronomic pest resistance
traits, and food and feed improvement traits.

"We have pipeline products like Roundup Ready Flex for cotton and an
improved soybean oil for food manufacturers from our conventional
breeding program that are moving close to commercialization," said
Casale.  "We also saw good results in our field trials for drought
tolerant corn in 2003, and we will be expanding our field trials in
2004.

"Wheat growers are already experiencing the benefits of biotech, but in
other crops such as corn, soy, and canola, which are increasingly being
grown on acreage formerly devoted to wheat," according to Casale.
"Growers will continue to benefit as we bring traits such as cold stress
and drought tolerance to the marketplace."

Monsanto began the technical development stage of Roundup Ready wheat in
1997.  Six years of field testing by Monsanto scientists and academic
researchers demonstrate that Roundup Ready wheat performs exceptionally
well under the most difficult production environments for spring-planted
wheat and offers the potential to increase yields by 5 percent to 15
percent.

Monsanto will discontinue breeding and field level research of Roundup
Ready wheat.  The company will be working with regulators around the
world to take appropriate next steps with regard to regulatory
submissions.

Monsanto's investment in wheat in fiscal year 2004 has been less than $5
million, or less than one percent of the company's $500 million research
and development budget.  Funds budgeted for wheat will be redeployed to
other research and development efforts.  The company announced on May 4,
2004, that it is increasing its fiscal year 2004 earnings per share
(EPS) guidance, now expected to be in the range of $1.55 on an ongoing
basis for the 2004 fiscal year.  Even with this decision, the company is
maintaining its reported and ongoing earnings per share guidance for
fiscal year 2004, and its projected 10 percent compounded annual growth
rate for earnings per share on an ongoing basis for 2005 and 2006.

Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of technology-based
solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and
food quality. For more information on Monsanto, see: www.monsanto.com .

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information: Certain
statements contained in this release, such as statements concerning the
company's anticipated financial results, current and future product
performance, regulatory approvals, currency impact, business and
financial plans and other non-historical facts are "forward-looking
statements."  These statements are based on current expectations and
currently available information. However, since these statements are
based on factors that involve risks and uncertainties, the company's
actual performance and results may differ materially from those
described or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that
could cause or contribute to such differences include, among
others: the company's exposure to various contingencies, including those
related to Solutia Inc., litigation, intellectual property, regulatory
compliance (including seed quality), environmental contamination and
antitrust; fluctuations in exchange rates and other developments related
to foreign currencies and economies; increased generic and branded
competition for the company's Roundup herbicide; the accuracy of the
company's estimates and projections, for example, those with respect to
product returns and grower use of the company's products and related
distribution inventory levels; the effect of weather conditions and
commodity markets on the agriculture business; the success of the
company's research and development activities and the speed with which
regulatory authorizations and product launches may be achieved; domestic
and foreign social, legal and political developments, especially those
relating to agricultural products developed through biotechnology; the
company's ability to continue to manage its costs; the company's ability
to successfully market new and existing products in new and existing
domestic and international markets; the company's ability to obtain
payment for the products that it sells; the company's ability to achieve
and maintain protection for its intellectual property; the effects of
the company's accounting policies and changes in generally accepted
accounting principles; the company's ability to fund its short-term
financing needs; general economic and business conditions; political and
economic conditions due to threat of future terrorist activity and
related military action; and other risks and factors detailed in the
company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements,
which are current only as of the date of this release. The company
disclaims any current intention to revise or update any forward-looking
statements or any of the factors that may affect actual results, whether
as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Notes to editors: Roundup Ready is a trademark owned by Monsanto Company
and its wholly owned subsidiaries.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measure
This release uses the non-GAAP financial measure of earnings per share
(EPS) excluding the effect of certain items.  A non-GAAP EPS financial
measure (which the company sometimes refers to as EPS from ongoing
business) may exclude the impact of restructuring charges, charges
associated with the settlement of litigation, gains and losses on the
sale of assets, and certain other items.  The specific items that are
excluded from, and result in, the company's non-GAAP EPS financial
measure are clearly identified as such in this release.  The disclosure
of EPS excluding the effect of certain items is intended to supplement
investors' understanding of the company's operating performance.  This
non-GAAP financial measure may not be comparable to similar measures
used by other companies.  Furthermore, this non-GAAP financial measure
is not intended to replace net income (loss), cash flows, financial
position, or comprehensive income (loss), as determined in accordance
with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.  The
non-GAAP financial measure used in this release is reconciled to the
most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in
accordance with GAAP below.