November 28, 2000

Monsanto Company President and Chief Executive Officer Hendrik A. Verfaillie Monday outlined what he called the "New Monsanto Pledge" -- principles outlining the company's policy for the development, use and stewardship of products from new agricultural technologies. It includes five areas: dialogue, transparency, respect, sharing and delivering benefits.

Speaking before the fifth annual Farm Journal Forum in Washington, Verfaillie said, "We commit to respecting and working with all interested parties, developing technology with benefits that are meaningful to farmers and consumers throughout the world, and only developing products that we are confident are safe and will provide value to our customers."

In the area of dialogue, Monsanto committed to an ongoing exchange "with all interested parties to understand the issues and concerns related to this technology." The company plans to create an external Biotechnology Advisory Council from a range of constituencies with an interest in biotechnology to meet, discuss, advise and help make decisions.

The pledge regarding transparency involved making published scientific data and data summaries on product safety and benefits publicly "available and accessible, and we commit to working within the rigorous, science-based regulation as required by appropriate government agencies around the world." Monsanto research and external research by universities and other institutions will be made available through the Internet and "other public venues." In addition, the company will support "a mandatory pre-market notification process for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review of all biotechnology products in the United States."

Monsanto also pledged to respect the religious, cultural and ethical concerns of people throughout the world by commercializing commodity grain products "only after they have been approved for consumption by both humans and animals"; by not using genes taken from animal or human sources in Monsanto agricultural products intended for food or feed; by never commercializing a product in which a known allergen has been introduced; by using alternatives to antibiotic resistance genes to select for new traits "as soon as the technology allows us to do so efficiently and effectively in a manner that has been proven safe"; and, by "underscoring our commitment not to pursue technologies that result in sterile seeds. "

Where sharing is concerned, Monsanto will bring the knowledge and advantages of "all forms of agriculture to resource-poor farmers in the developing world to help improve food security and protect the environment. To this end, we have created a dedicated team within Monsanto to facilitate technology sharing and agricultural development collaborations with public institutions, non-profit groups and local industry around the world."

In the area of benefits, Monsanto pledged "to work for and deliver benefits for farmers commercially as well as environmentally." Environmentally, the company committed to develop technology that "directly contributes to a vision of abundant food and a healthy environment" by using biotechnology to promote integrated pest management (IPM) and reduce agricultural inputs "such as we have seen with the reduction of pesticides in the United States." The commitment also involved working with growers worldwide to double the use of tillage practices that conserve soil and moisture over the next five years and "ensuring that all of our products and practices protect wildlife and beneficial species."

Monsanto intends to launch "new genetically improved commodity crops in the United States only after they have received full approval for food use and animal feed in the United States and Japan. We hope also to extend this intention to Europe as soon as it has established a working regulatory system."

Verfaillie said, "We have reached a critical crossroads in the debate about biotechnology. We recognize that people in all arenas have looked to us to explain and defend this technology publicly. We recognize that our role as a leader in this technology means we have to do more than react to what is said publicly -- we have an obligation to take a solid stance and look to set benchmark policy on how this technology is developed, used and communicated through this Pledge."