St. Louis, Missouri
October 1, 2003

A U.S. District Court today denied efforts to certify an antitrust class-action suit levied against Monsanto (NYSE: MON) and other companies over biotechnology seed products sold to American farmers. On Sept. 26, the same court dismissed all "tort claims" asserted in the same suit that attacked the introduction of biotechnology. Combined with today's decision, the District Court has now eliminated both theories advanced in the plaintiffs' class-action lawsuit originally initiated in 1999.

In describing the plaintiffs' attempt to bring the class-action antitrust suit, the Court's decision described the plaintiffs' premise as based on a "house-of-cards."

"This ruling is a clear victory for Monsanto and for biotechnology," said Charles Burson, general counsel for Monsanto. "The plaintiffs' allegations were a vestige of the mistaken attacks that have made against biotechnology for years. The allegations now have been shown not to be representative of fact or the experience of farmers."

In the original lawsuit filed in 1999, the plaintiffs made two allegations -- that biotechnology products were insufficiently tested and introduced to the market, and Monsanto and other seed companies conspired to fix price premiums for biotechnology varieties at unreasonably high levels.

Today's ruling disposes of all purported class-action antitrust claims against Monsanto, Syngenta, Bayer and DuPont. Coupled with the Sept. 26 ruling that dismissed all tort claims in the original suit that alleged biotechnology products were inappropriately introduced, all of the claims made by the plaintiffs have been resolved in Monsanto's favor.

Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality.