Greece must lift ban on Monsanto's GM Seed Corn

From Marketwatch.com - E.U. orders Greece to lift ban on Monsanto corn seed

BRUSSELS (MarketWatch) -- The European Commission Monday ordered Greece to lift its ban on one type of U.S. biotech giant Monsanto Co.'s (MON) genetically modified corn seeds, according to a document obtained by Dow Jones Newswires. No health or safety grounds justify the ban, the document said. The decision underlines splits in the European Union over biotech food. The Brussels-based Commission wants to allow them in order to defuse trade tensions with the U.S. and to keep European agriculture competitive. But European consumers - and their governments - are resisting. In September 2004, the Commission authorized 17 different strains of Monsanto maize for planting and sale within the 25 E.U. countries. But the Greek government banned the seeds in April 2005, saying it believed the products presented a health danger.