April 15, 2009

German Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner on Tuesday banned the planting of genetically engineered corn type MON 810, the news agency ddp reports.

Environmental groups in Germany have vehemently called for a ban of the corn, and critics say a pesticide produced by the product kills beneficial soil organisms.

US manufacturer Monsanto Co. (MON) has said it will look into appealing the decision. This is urgent because the planting season is about to start, the report quotes Monsanto spokesman Andreas Thierfelder as saying.