Monsanto Shunned in Italy

Monsanto Shunned in Italy

ROME--The Italian government reported that police seized approximately 300 tons of soybean seeds from U.S. Monsanto imports, which were suspected to contain genetically engineered (GE) material. When the seeds were seized, most had already been distributed to retailers. Monsanto reported that the seeds were conventional and were distributed prior to obtaining the appropriate authorizations.
Following the seizure, Italy's Agriculture Minister Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio ordered checks of nearly two dozen Italian seed companies on March 26 in a search for GE material, as Italy has a strict no-GE policy regarding planting in Italian fields. Scanio asked Milan regional authorities to disallow imports from Monsanto because of GE contamination.
On April 3, protesters angered by the presence of GE material in U.S. seed imports set ablaze a Monsanto depot in Lodi, Italy, where untested seeds were being stored. According to Monsanto, the charred depot did not contain any of the seed that was being investigated by the Italian government, but rather conventional seed that was scheduled for distribution to Italian farmers. Approximately 19 tons of maize and 7 tons of soybeans were destroyed in the fire, a monetary loss of about $160,000. No one was injured in the blaze.