ADM Changes Tack on Genetically Modified Crops

 Soybean Update 395

Agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM) said it would not turn away genetically modified grains, four months after warning its grain suppliers to segregate the crops.

A company spokesman confirmed the change in stance to Reuters after ADM Chairman G. Allen Andreas told the Chicago Tribune this week that the company had reconsidered its September warning.

Andreas said "the pendulum is beginning to turn back" on the controversy surrounding the crops.

Consumer groups in Europe and Asia strongly oppose genetically modified grains and have demanded more testing to ensure their safety to humans and the environment. Japan, Australia and the European Union have made plans for mandatory labeling of some modified foods.
But Andreas said less than 5 percent of ADM's sales were to customers who asked if the crops were genetically modified.

Last September, ADM sparked concern in the industry by asking its suppliers to begin segregating genetically modified corn, soybeans and other crops from conventional varieties.

A straw poll of 400 farmers at the American Farm Bureau Federation's annual meeting this month showed that they planned to cut back sharply plantings of genetically modified crops this year, partly in response to the backlash in Europe. However, seed companies later said preliminary seed sales did not indicate a decline in interest.