monsanto

Monsanto bid for Delta could run into trouble

Monsanto Co.'s attempt to buy southern seed giant Delta & Pine Land Co. could be running into trouble as an unusual backlash against the proposed combination is taking root across the U.S. Farm Belt, the Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site on Monday.

Some biotech-industry leaders are prodding the attorneys general of several states to look into the combination as an antitrust review by the Justice Department extends into its fourth month, the paper said.

2006/8/15 Monsanto

Monsanto Company To Acquire Delta And Pine Land Company For $1.5 Billion In Cash

Monsanto Company and Delta and Pine Land Company announced today that they have signed a definitive agreement whereby Monsanto will acquire Delta and Pine Land Company for $1.5 billion in cash. The transaction was unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies and is subject to Delta and Pine Land shareowner approval, antitrust clearance, and customary closing conditions.

Delta and Pine Land Company is a leader in the cotton seed industry and currently operates the largest and longest running private cotton seed breeding program in the world. The company's extensive plant breeding programs, including its diverse base of international germplasm, has enabled the company to develop and deliver improved cotton varieties for their farmer customers for more than 90 years.

　

2007/5/31 Monsanto

Monsanto Company Reaches Agreement With U.S. Department of Justice on Elements of Consent Decree, Set to Complete Its Acquisition of Delta and Pine Land Company

Monsanto Company announced today that it has reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) that will allow it to complete its proposed acquisition of Delta and Pine Land Company. Under terms of the agreement, which was filed today in Federal Court in Washington, D.C., Monsanto will be required to divest certain assets including its U.S. branded cotton seed business. Monsanto plans to close its acquisition and resulting divestitures as soon as possible following the required approvals from the court and the DOJ.

モンサントは米国第１位の棉種子会社のDelta and Pine Land の買収で合意したが、司法省による独禁法の審査が大幅に遅れ、1999年12月に買収を断念した。
Delta社は棉種子市場の最大手であるとともに、ターミネーター技術（種子を死滅させる毒性タンパクを作る遺伝子を組み込み、２回目の発芽の際には種子が死滅する技術）を保有している。

一世代限りの種子（ターミネーター）モンサント社が開発凍結国際的反対世論の高まりで

　アメリカのバイオ企業モンサント社は1999/10/4、遺伝子操作で農作物を自家採種できなくするターミネーター・テクノロジーの開発を当面凍結し、商品化を見送る方針を明らかにしました。
　この技術は、種子を死滅させる毒性タンパクを作る遺伝子を植物の細胞の中に組み込み、一回目の発芽の時は、その毒素遺伝子にカギがかけられて種実は収穫できるが、二回目にはそのカギが外れて種子が死滅するという仕組み。これはアメリカの農務省と種子企業デルタ＆パイランド社が開発、モンサント社がデルタ社を買収して、この技術を手中に収めました。

しかし、2005年に同社は、ターミネータ種子を非食料作物（例えば綿？）には使用すると示唆しつつ、”食料作物には不妊種子技術を商業化せず、将来、ターミネータの他の用途を除外することはしない”と公約の記述を修正した。

Acquisition expected to facilitate greater innovation in the cotton industry

In line with its agreement with the DOJ, Monsanto announced that:
-- It has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Stoneville® cotton seed brand and related business assets, subject to Justice Department approval, to Bayer CropScience for $310 million. As part of this agreement, Monsanto has agreed to sell to Bayer CropScience certain conventional cotton parental lines that Monsanto will acquire from Delta and Pine Land's cotton breeding program. Monsanto will retain a non-exclusive license to these same parental lines. Bayer's FiberMax® brand and the Stoneville brand will continue to be licensed to use Monsanto's cotton trait technologies.
-- It has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its NexGen™ cotton seed brand and related business assets, also subject to Justice Department approval, to Americot for $6.8 million. As part of this agreement, Monsanto has agreed to sell to Americot certain conventional cotton parental lines that Delta and Pine Land acquired from Syngenta in 2006. The Americot® and NexGen brands will continue to be licensed to use Monsanto's cotton trait technologies.
-- It will be amending certain cotton licensing agreements so that its other cotton licensees have the same terms that Delta and Pine Land enjoyed with regard to the use of third-party trait technologies.
-- It will provide to Syngenta certain germplasm in Delta and Pine Land's breeding pipeline that contains VIPCot™ trait technology. This action is intended to allow Syngenta to continue its development of this technology.

http://www.ne.jp/asahi/kagaku/pico/kaigai/kaigai_06/06_08/060816_etc_Monsanto.html

　モンサント社とD&PL 社は、アメリカの綿の種子市場で合わせて57％以上のシェアを持つ。中国、インド、ブラジル、メキシコ、トルコ、及びパキスタンのような主要な市場を含む13カ国にある D&PL 社の関連会社も含むこの買収は、モンサント社が世界の最も重要な貿易農産物のひとつを支配下に置くとともに、数百万の農民が遺伝子組み換え（GM）の綿の種子を受け入れざるを得ない圧力を受ける状況となることを意味する。

デルタ＆パイン・ランド社（D&PL）はアメリカ農務省とともにターミネータ技術－遺伝子組み換えにより収穫時の種子を不妊にする技術－の初期の開発を行ったことで悪名高い。農民、民間社会、及び多数の政府による大規模な反対にもかかわらず、デルタ＆パイン・ランド社（D&PL）はその技術を商業化すると繰り返し主張し、彼らの主要な市場は、アフリカ、アジア、及びラテン・アメリカであると宣言した。同社はすでに温室でターミネータ遺伝子を含む遺伝子組み換えの綿とタバコを栽培していると主張している。

モンサント社による1998年のデルタ＆パイン・ランド社の18億ドル（約2,000億円）での買収計画は、ターミネータ技術に関し世界的に議論が行われていた1999年に破談となった。大きな反対に対応して、モンサント社の前 CEO、ロバート・シャピロは1999年に、同社は不妊種子技術の商業化は行わないと公に約束した。

モンサント社の報道官ロリ・フィッシャーは種子を不妊とする技術を使用するつもりはなく、”食料作物に対しては不妊種子技術を商業化しない”という2005年の公約に立っていると伝えてきた。この公約はまた、”モンサントの人々は技術の発展に伴いこの立場を常に再評価する”と述べている。

Genetic Use Restriction Technology

In 1999, some stakeholders expressed fears that a sterile-seed technology then under development by the U.S. government and a cotton seed company might lead to dependence for poor smallholder farmers. In response, Monsanto made a commitment not to commercialize sterile-seed technologies in food crops. It continues to stand by that commitment today, but Monsanto people constantly reevaluate this stance as technology develops.

Monsanto does not rule out the potential development and use of one of these technologies in the future. The company will continue to study the risks and benefits of this technology on a case-by-case basis.

Open Letter From Monsanto CEO Robert B. Shapiro To Rockefeller Foundation President Gordon Conway and others

DATE: October 4, 1999

I am writing to let you know that we are making a public commitment not to commercialize sterile seed technologies, such as the one dubbed "Terminator." We are doing this based on input from you and a wide range of other experts and stakeholders, including our very important grower constituency.
As you know, sterile seed technology is one of a class of so called "gene protection systems." This is a group of technologies, all still in the conceptual or developmental stage, that could potentially be used to protect the investment companies make in developing genetically-improved crops, as well as possibly providing other agronomic benefits. Some would work by rendering seeds from such crops sterile, while others would work by other means, such as deactivating only the value-added biotech trait. One of the sterile seed technologies was developed and patented jointly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Delta & Pine Land, with which we announced our intent to merge in the spring of 1998.
Last April, after hearing concerns about the potential impact of gene protection systems in developing countries and consulting with a number of international experts and development leaders, we called for a thorough, independent review of gene protection systems. We also pledged not to commercialize any of them until that review was completed and we had responded to the issues raised.
Since then, however, we have continued to listen to people who have a particular interest in sterile seed technologies, including the concerns you expressed to our Board in June. Though we do not yet own any sterile seed technology, we think it is important to respond to those concerns at this time by making clear our commitment not to commercialize gene protection systems that render seed sterile.
It is also important to understand that the technical and business utility of sterile seed technology is speculative. The specific technology over which Monsanto would gain ownership through its pending merger with Delta & Pine Land is developmental, at least five years away from any possible commercialization, and may or may not prove workable in a commercial setting. The need for companies to protect and gain a return on their investments in agricultural innovation is real. Without this return, we would no longer be able to continue developing new products growers have said they want.
Monsanto holds patents on technological approaches to gene protection that do not render seeds sterile and has studied one that would inactivate only the specific gene(s) responsible for the value-added biotech trait. We are not currently investing resources to develop these technologies, but we do not rule out their future development and use for gene protection or their possible agronomic benefits.
For this reason, we continue to support the open, independent airing of all of the issues raised by the use of gene protection systems to protect the investment companies make in agricultural innovation. We understand, for example, that the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences is planning an international study of these issues. We renew the pledge we made in April that we will not make any decision to commercialize a gene protection technology until a full airing of the issues is complete and we have responded publicly to the concerns that are raised.
We are fully committed to modern biotechnology as a safe, sustainable tool for farmers and an important contributor to the future success of agriculture in meeting the world's needs for food and fiber. The technology has already brought important benefits to growers and the environment after just a few years of commercial application. We are working hard to build on this success.
We also recognize that biotechnology, like any new technology, raises issues that must be addressed. We appreciate your involvement with these important issues and the perspective and expertise you contributed at our June Board meeting. We find significant value in engaging stakeholders and the expert community in active dialogue on issues surrounding biotechnology and the future success of agriculture. I look forward to continuing our dialogue with you on the many issues and challenges that lie ahead.

Sincerely, Robert B. Shapiro Chairman and CEO Monsanto Company