Is it better to feed the poor and make money, or appease Greenpeace (search) and do neither?
Greenpeace had a quite different take on Monsanto’s decision. “It’s a hard-won victory for every environmental group, every consumer, every cyberactivist who has said ‘no’ to genetically engineered foods. The decision fits a pattern of industry retreat set last month by Bayer CropScience’s (search) decision to withdraw GE maize from the UK,” said Greenpeace. Some growers may indeed be concerned about biotech wheat — but only because Greenpeace and the rest of the anti-biotechnology/anti-business axis did a better job of scaring farmers, food processors and consumers about the technology than Monsanto did in selling it. After all, there are no health, safety or ecological reasons for concern about biotech wheat. It was headed for regulatory approval. Now it’s headed for the scrap heap as development has been “deferred for four to eight years,” according to Monsanto management. Biotech wheat wasn’t the only beneficial technology canned by Monsanto this week. The company also decided to
