BASF biotech move puts spotlight on GM issue

BASF, the German chemical company, announced recently that the headquarters of BASF Plant Science, its biotech unit, would be moved from Germany to North Carolina in the US.

“There is still a lack of acceptance for this technology in many parts of Europe, [by] the majority of consumers, farmers and politicians.” That’s according to Stefan Marcinowski, who is in change of the BASF plant biotechnology unit.

“Therefore, it does not make business sense to continue investing in products exclusively for cultivation in this market” he continued. Development and commercialisation of all products targeted solely at cultivation in the European market will be halted by the company.