London (20.1.12) – BASF, one of the two major German companies developing GM-products (the other is Bayer) has decided to relocate its agricultural biotechnology headquarters from Germany to the US where the atmosphere, to say the least, is more GM-friendly (1, 2).

Kurt Bock, the BASF CEO, expects the decision to be final; he is fed up with the anti-GM posture in Germany and of most Germans, particularly as, in his view, the technology originated largely in Germany: "We have a high level of expertise and are about to lose it."

BASF Plant Sciences based at Limburgerhof near Ludwigshafen will probably move to the Research Triangle Research Park in North Carolina.

About 100 jobs will be lost at Limburgerhof and Gatersleben in eastern Germany, balanced by the creation of another 100 in the US, Ghent and Berlin.

For over a year, BASF has undertaken no GM-crop development exclusively for the European market and the future of BASF Amflora GM-potato may now be at stake. For more than ten years the company fought the EU Commission for approval of field crops before it was granted in March 2010.

Herr Bock said that BASF invests € 150 million annually on agricultural biotechnology research, a clear long-term growth area. But Germany, to its shame in view of its earlier scientific reputation and standing as well as to its ultimate disadvantage, wants to bury its head in the sand.

Manfred Nuessel, president of cooperatives association DRV, said "The announcement by BASF to transfer its (German) domestic plant biotechnology research and development activities to the United States is disastrous for Europe as a location for agricultural industries" (3).

Contrast the frightened backwardness of Germany with attitudes in Brazil, a forward-looking country. Südamerika Blog (4) reports that Brazil's state agricultural research institute Embrapa, on the outskirts of Brasilia, is among the world's leading centres for the development of GM-plants and that Brazil wants to be the largest agricultural nation in the world, displacing the U.S. from first place. GM engineer Francisco Aragão, who has worked for Embrapa 22 years, said: "We do research in many areas. It is important to keep up with the competition and be independent.” He is currently working on new genetically modified soy varieties resistant to a particular herbicide because they have spent years vainly trying to make the plant resistant by conventional breeding.

Fortunately for the UK our government and politicians are more forward-looking. Spokespeople from both the Conservative and Labour parties have recently expressed in public the importance of taking a sensible view of GM-technology (5).

Added 16.2.12:

As expected, BASF has now announced its plans for development in the US: $33 million are to be invested in R&D facilities in the Research Triangle Park, North Carolina (6). "Nearly 80,000 sq. ft. of office, laboratory and greenhouse facilities will support the company’s plant biotechnology and insect control research......This expansion demonstrates the company’s strategic commitment to agricultural solutions and strengthening R&D in all of our markets,” said Nevin McDougall, Senior Vice President, BASF Crop Protection North America. “It also underscores our commitment to the site’s employees and the surrounding community.”

Well, Germany....?

Sources:

1. Jürgen Salz (14.1.12). BASF will Zentrale für grüne Gentechnik in die USA verlegen. Wirtschafts Woche (http://www.wiwo.de/unternehmen/industrie/chemiekonzern-basf-will-zentrale-fuer-gruene-gentechnik-in-die-usa-verlegen/6062082.html?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed)

2. Bernd Freytag (16.1.12). Verlagerung nach Amerika BASF gibt grüne Gentechnik in Europa auf. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (http://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/verlagerung-nach-amerika-basf-gibt-gruene-gentechnik-in-europa-auf-11608862.html)

3. German farm group regrets BASF's GMO move to U.S. Reuters (17.1.12) (http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL6E8CH4HQ20120117)

4 . Brasilien hat keine Probleme mit der Gentechnik. Südamerika Blog (9.1.12) (http://www.suedamerika-blog.de/urlaub/brasilien-hat-keine-probleme-mit-der-gentechnik/)

5 . Juliette Jowit (5.1.12). Tories and Labour renew backing for GM food crops. The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jan/05/gm-food-crops-demand-prices?newsfeed=true)

6. BASF to invest USD 33 million in R&D facilities in Research Triangle Park. North Carolina. BASF (15.2.12) (http://www.basf.com/group/pressrelease/P-12-145)

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