GREEPEACE: Monsanto document -- "collapse of ...
OTC 19.11.98 13:16
NOV 19, 1998, M2 Communications - Greenpeace today two documents
about the controversy over attempts to introduce genetically
engineered food in the UK and Germany.
The American multi-national chemical company, Monsanto, says it
spent GBP 1 million on the advertising campaign that ran in the
British press this summer. The aim of the advertising was to
increase public acceptance of GM (genetically modified) food
among the "upper socio-economic segment" of British
society.
Here are some of the things Monsanto did not put in its ads. All
the quotes below come from two leaked internal memos, 'The
British Test' and 'The Maturing Crisis' (in Germany), apparently
produced for Monsanto.
The memos appear to have been written by Stan Greenberg, Chairman
and Chief Executive of Greenberg Research, who has served as
polling advisor to President Clinton, Prime Minister Tony Blair
and Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
"Biotechnology and Monsanto face their toughest European
test in Britain. The broad climate is extremely inhospitable to
biotechnology acceptance and, absent political support in
government, Monsanto would surely face unfavorable decisions on
its key products.
Over the past year, the situation has deteriorated
steadily and perhaps at an accelerating pace."
"The latest survey shows an on-going collapse of public
support for biotechnology and GM foods. At each point in this
project, we keep thinking that we have reached the low point and
that public thinking will stabilize, but we apparently have not
reached that point. The latest survey shows a steady decline over
the year, which may have accelerated in the most recent
period."
"Overall feeling toward foods with
genetically-modified ingredients have grown dramatically more
negative, which is probably the best measure of our declining
fortunes in Britain."
"Whether such ingredients are "acceptable" - which
encompasses a willingness for such products to exist commercially
in Britain - has declined somewhat (from 33 to 25 percent over
the year); the number saying that these products are
"unacceptable" has skyrocketed: 35 percent last year,
rising to 44 percent before the summer and to 51 percent
now."
"In the most recent research confidence in all regulatory
agencies has slipped...In our earlier focus groups, stating that
seed had been approved by British food safety agencies reduced
support for our products."
"The retailers are critical arbiters in this process, since
they have very high credibility in Britain, according to our
surveys, and because they believe Monsanto has handed off to them
the task of winning public acceptance. They carry with them their
resentment of Monsanto for badly mismanaging the introduction of
biotechnology in Europe and for allowing the issue to be decided
in the supermarkets. As a result, they are right on the edge -
testing public acceptance, but now very open to a moratorium that
would get them off the front lines. They are anxious for someone
else to move on the front lines, preferably the government."
"These observations about the retailers are based on
interviews conducted between September 25th and 29th with the
heads of corporate communication, heads of corporate affairs,
chief scientific advisors and senior buyers and managers at Marks
& Spencer, Waitrose, Tesco, CWS, Asda and Safeway."
"Retailers are divided about how this will work out over the
long term. One was fairly confident that, barring "a major
catastrophe," it will continue and it will be accepted as a
regular process"; others thought there was a
"fifty-fifty" chance of "losing to the pressure
groups"; it could "turn out like irradiation. Which is,
you don't do it."
"The networks that most directly influence the
decision-makers in Britain - the upper socio-economic AB segment
- are hardly leading the way for biotechnology acceptance. They
are at least as negative on the subject as the general
public."
"Overall feeling toward Greenpeace has dropped from 64 to 58
degrees this summer; UK environment groups dropped from 60 to 56
degrees. At the same time, feelings toward the Consumer
Association have remained unchanged, suggesting this is a
specific response to the environmental groups."
"The hostility to GM food and agricultural products combines
with a high regard for environmental groups in Germany. The Bund
receives a very high thermometer scores of 72 degrees, but
Greenpeace is not far behind (69 degrees, which translates into
66 percent warm and 16 percent cool)."
"The Monsanto advertising campaign....directed at
ABs and using "non-news" publications - was, for the
most part, overwhelmed by the society-wide collapse of support
for genetic engineering in foods."
"There is considerable evidence from the elite and public
interviews that the anti-biotechnology discourse focuses on
American companies in general and Monsanto in particular. The
company is seen to dominate this field, employ aggressive
practices and to enter the market with a certain disregard for
the German consumer."
"That sentiment, expressed by the elites, is strongly
reflected in the general public. In the focus groups,
biotechnology companies were seen to be willing to risk great
human danger in order to make profits. That is balanced by a
somewhat weaker view that bio-technology companies are
future-oriented and modern."
"For the opposition elites [in Germany], Monsanto has
emerged as singularly unscrupulous - a real symbol of corporate
greed and power. The elite anti-biotech respondents described
Monsanto in very harsh terms, indeed harsher than anything we
have seen in Britain."
"The environmentalists remain skeptical that genetic
engineering could ever produce a Greenpeace protest as successful
as Brent Spar, which "was a small miracle". GM seeds
offer nothing as dramatic as drilling platforms."
"Right now the focus is on nuclear power, but it is not out
of the question that some crisis in the food chain could shift
the focus to genetic engineering. In that eventuality, the
outside groups are clear, according to EMNID, Monsanto
"comes closest to exemplifying the image of the enemy -
Shell."
In its own advertisements, Monsanto suggested that readers who
were interested should contact some opponents of GE food
including Friends of the Earth, Iceland Frozen Foods and
Greenpeace. If you want more info on these memos, we suggest you
ring Monsanto on 0171 495 8455 and ask for copies (or visit the
Greenpeace website at http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/monsanto where
the documents are available in full).
NOTES FOR EDITORS
1. Monsanto's headquarters in St. Louis informed Greenpeace that
Stan Greenberg is available on 001-202-547-5200.
2. The Greenpeace website will be live from 00.01 Wednesday 18
November.
3. EMNID is one of Germany's top polling companies.
4. The Greenpeace genetic engineering hotline number is 0800 269
065 For further information please contact the Greenpeace press
office on 0171 865 8255/6/7/8
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