Greenpeace Letter to Monsanto Stockholders
Press Release: 19 Nov 98
GREENPEACE

MONSANTO URGED TO GIVE SHAREHOLDERS THE FULL FACTS
Greenpeace has written to Robert Shapiro, Chief Executive
of the US multi-national chemical company, Monsanto, today
(19th November 1998) calling on him to inform the company's
shareholders worldwide of the content of its internal reports,
leaked yesterday to the UK media.

Written by US pollster, Stan Greenberg, the reports give
the clearest picture, to date, of the grave level of consumer
hostility in the UK and Germany towards genetically engineered
foods - levels of rejection that could materially affect
the valuation of the company's shares.

Peter Melchett, Executive Director of Greenpeace UK, says:
"The reports raise serious questions about Monsanto's future
in Europe and are cause for serious concern for the company's
shareholders. The true level of public rejection of genetically
modified food and the potential crisis Monsanto is facing
is there in black and white."

The reports, entitled 'The British Test: The Fall 1998 Research'
and 'The Maturing Crisis: Report on the 1998 Baseline Research
in Germany', say that there is "an ongoing collapse of
public support for biotechnology and GM foods" in the UK
and that "overall feeling towards foods with genetically
modified ingredient have grown dramatically more negative."
In Germany, the reports say that Monsanto "comes closest
to exemplifying the enemy - Shell" and suggests it should
consider "a plan for crisis management."

The research also reveals that major retailing chains in
the UK, key customers to Monsanto, are angry with the way
in which it has mismanaged the introduction of biotechnology
in Europe and think that there is a "fifty fifty" chance
that the position over genetically engineered food will
end up as being "you don't do it."

Major UK investors in Monsanto include Barclays Bank, Mercury
Asset Management, Prudential, Barings, Invesco, General
Accident/Commercial Union and Rothchilds. Others include
the YMCA and George Soros.

Greenpeace has also discovered that further reports, written
by Stan Greenberg, exist which outline the public views
in the US on genetically engineered food. Greenpeace demands
that these are made publicly available in line with Monsanto's
"information campaign" to "stimulate informed discussion".

"That Monsanto is denying its customers and the consumer
a choice over genetically engineered foods is totally unacceptable.
To deny its own shareholders the full facts would be yet
another grave error of judgement," added Melchett.

Greenpeace is also writing to Monsanto's major shareholders
in the UK to share the information in the leaked reports
with them.

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...Monsanto Urged to Give Shareholders the Full Facts/2
Notes to Editors: Stan Greenberg is Chairman and Chief
Executive of Greenberg Research and has served as polling
advisor to President Clinton, Prime Minister Tony Blair
and Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

The leaked documents are available on the Greenpeace website
at
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/monsantohttp://www.greenpeace.org.uk/monsanto
For further information
please contact the Greenpeace press office on 0171 865
8255/6/7/8

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