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St. Louis, Missouri
April 13, 2001
Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON - news) today continued implementation of the
New Monsanto Pledge by launching a new initiative to enhance the company's seed quality leadership by
producing a consistently high level of quality in the finished product delivered to the farmer.
This is the latest action by the company to implement the New Monsanto Pledge which is a series of commitments that describe the company's policies for the products developed through biotechnology.
"Product stewardship and quality management are core values at Monsanto and this initiative will carry our continuous improvement efforts to a new level of performance,'' said Mark Leidy, vice
president of manufacturing at Monsanto.
"We already have invested over $100 million in seed corn production facilities as part of an overall plan to consolidate and upgrade these facilities and continue improvements in their quality, safety and productivity,'' Leidy said.
"The new facilities provide more flexibility with individual bin drying and faster more effective cleanout between products.''
In the new initiative, the company is pursuing ISO-9002 registration for all commercial and foundation seed production sites as
well as for seed quality assurance laboratories. The target date for completing the registration process in North America is the
end of 2001; production sites in Europe, South America and Asia will complete full registration by the end of 2003.
ISO-9002 represents an international consensus on good
management practices to document operating processes and consistent quality performance. These standards are administered by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO),
a worldwide federation of national standards bodies from some 110 countries. ISO registration requires independent auditing
of processes and performance.
"The New Monsanto Pledge invigorated our commitment to work for uniform global standards for seed quality,'' said Kevin
Lawrence, director of global seed supply for Monsanto. "This will build on the international seed industry's voluntary quality
initiatives.
"ISO-9002 registration of our seed production and laboratory facilities will enhance the rigorous quality processes we have in
place today and provide independent verification of our capabilities,'' he said.
Contract producers of soybean seed for Monsanto are being encouraged to voluntarily complete their own ISO registration
process. Monsanto will provide support for these efforts as well as work with other seed companies that license Monsanto
technology.
"Seed production is a natural process, so it is subject to natural variability,'' Lawrence said.
"Robust management of process quality, under ISO standards, is a powerful tool to assure farmers Monsanto's seeds meet the highest quality standards in the
industry.''
Monsanto President and Chief Executive Officer Hendrik Verfaillie announced the pledge five months ago, committing to
dialogue with interested parties; transparency with information and regulation; respect for religious, cultural and ethical
concerns; sharing of knowledge and technology; and benefits for growers and the environment.
Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of
technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm
productivity. For more information on Monsanto, see: www.monsanto.com .
Company news release
N3461 |
