AGRICULTURE REPORT - Monsanto Decides Against Genetically En

AGRICULTURE REPORT - Monsanto Decides Against Genetically¹ Engineered Wheat
By Mario Ritter

Broadcast: Tuesday, May 18, 2004

This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Last week, the Monsanto company announced that it would not sell genetically engineered wheat. The American company had been developing a kind of wheat for use with one of its top products. That product is Roundup.

The chemicals in Roundup kill unwanted plants around crops. But the poison can kill crops, too. So farmers have to be careful. Monsanto has developed genetically engineered crops that can resist the product. Such crops are called Roundup-ready. Monsanto has already developed Roundup-ready soybeans, cotton and corn.

The company says Roundup-ready wheat could have increased harvests by five to fifteen percent. But Monsanto found that the market is not ready for genetically engineered wheat. Monsanto says it invested² less than five-million dollars in wheat this year, or less than one percent of its research budget. It says it might try again in four to eight years.

Opposition³ to genetically engineered wheat came from outside and inside the United States. Japan, a major buyer of American wheat, opposed the new crop. Other big importers like the European Union and South Korea did not welcome the idea either.

In the United States, many farmers who grow wheat for export did not want a genetically engineered product. They said they feared that many export buyers would reject it. There were also fears that the new product would mix with other wheat.

The Monsanto decision pleased opponents⁴ of genetically engineered crops. Activists⁵ called it a victory for everyone.

But the company says it made the decision for business reasons. Monsanto says planting of spring wheat in the United States and Canada has fallen by twenty-five percent in the last seven years. Use of wheat is expected to remain near current levels for several years.

Products like genetically engineered soybeans, corn and cotton are already established in the market. But these crops are used mostly for animal food and vegetable oils, or cloth. There is greater opposition to the idea of genetically engineered foods like wheat, even though the industry says biotechnology is safe.

Monsanto, for example, engineered potatoes to resist insects. But in two-thousand, the company faced resistance⁶ from McDonald's and other fast-food sellers⁷. They did not want to sell a product that people might not want to buy.

This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Mario Ritter. This is Steve Ember.

1 genetically   

adv.遗传上

参考例句：

• All the bees in the colony are genetically related. 同一群体的蜜蜂都有亲缘关系。
• Genetically modified foods have already arrived on American dinner tables. 经基因改造加工过的食物已端上了美国人的餐桌。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 基因与食物

2 invested   

v.投资，花费( invest的过去式和过去分词 )；授予；（把资金）投入；投入（时间、精力等）

参考例句：

• The money will be invested in managed funds. 这笔钱将投资于管理基金。
• He invested his lawyer with complete power to act for him. 他让律师全权代办。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 opponents   

n.对手，敌手( opponent的名词复数 )；反对者

参考例句：

• Somehow he always manages to outwit his opponents. 他反正总能设法智胜对手。
• to use strong-arm tactics against your political opponents 用强制手段对付政敌

5 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 resistance   

n.抵抗力，反抗，反抗行动；阻力，电阻；反对；adj.抵抗的

参考例句：

• Very little resistance was put up by the enemy.敌人没怎么进行抵抗。
• An aircraft has to overcome the resistance of the air.飞机须克服空气的阻力。

7 sellers   

n.卖者( seller的名词复数 )；卖方；销售者；销售商

参考例句：

• buyers and sellers transacting business 进行交易的买方和卖方
• All manner of hawkers and street sellers were plying their trade. 形形色色的沿街小贩都在做着自己的买卖。 来自《简明英汉词典》