Following the announcement of the UK Government’s position on GM Food and Crops on 9th March 2004, Bayer CropScience has decided to discontinue further efforts to commercialise its GM forage maize variety, Chardon LL, in the UK.

The UK Government in its recent policy announcement on GM Food and Crops, indicated that it agreed in principle to the commercial cultivation of this GM forage maize variety and thereby confirmed that this GM product is both safe and effective. Bayer CropScience recognised this announcement as a positive step towards the development of plant biotechnologies in the UK.

The Government has however placed a number of constraints on this conditional approval before the commercial cultivation of GM forage maize can proceed in the UK. The specific details of these conditions are still not available and thus will result in yet another 'open-ended' period of delay. These uncertainties and undefined timelines will make this five-year old variety economically non-viable.

Bayer CropScience remains highly committed to the further development of plant biotechnologies in the UK. “We hope that the UK will be able to benefit from the opportunity afforded by this technology some time in the future. We would like to thank all UK farmers and stakeholders who have supported our efforts to make progress on this project”, said Dr Julian Little, a Bayer CropScience spokesperson.

Bayer CropScience, a subsidiary of Bayer AG with annual sales of about EUR 5.8 billion (2003), is one of the world’s leading innovative crop science companies in the areas of crop protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds and plant biotechnology. The company offers an outstanding range of products and extensive service backup for modern, sustainable agriculture and for non-agricultural applications. Bayer CropScience has a global workforce of about 19,000 and is represented in more than 120 countries, ensuring proximity to dealers and consumers.