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Syngenta quits GM research in uk
1 July 2004
The prospects of GM crops being grown in the UK look even more remote today following reports that Anglo-Swiss GM firm Syngenta is to close its laboratories in Berkshire and move to the United States. Friends of the Earth welcomed the move, but called on the company to switch its research efforts away from GM and toward sustainable agriculture.
The move by Syngenta is the latest sign that the biotech industry recognises the overwhelming opposition to GM food and crops in the UK. Monsanto and Bayer CropScience have both recently reduced their UK GM operations.
Friends of the Earth's GM campaigner Clare Oxborrow said:
"This is another massive blow to the biotech industry. While public opposition to GM food and crops has grown, biotech firms have kept their blinkers on and continued to develop products that people don't want. This move by Syngenta shows that there is no future for GM technology in the UK or Europe. But rather than moving to the US, companies should invest in researching the most sustainable ways of producing food that consumers will eat and doesn't threaten farming or the environment."
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Jun 2008
