Bonn To Import Modified Soybeans

Oelmuehle said the genetically altered soybeans would comprise only one to two per cent of its imports, but for practical reasons it could not separate them.

There was no reason to do so, said chairman Arnd von Wissel, according to a statement distributed by Verband Deutscher Oelmuehlen E V, a national lobby group. Products made from genetically modified soybeans are indistinguishable from conventional products, he said.

Greenpeace spokesman Joerg Naumann said his organisation wants Oelmuehle to offer products free of modified soybeans and let consumers decide. It would be possible to store and market the types separately, Naumann said. Earlier, Greenpeace said it would organise consumer protests against imports of genetically modified US soybeans because risks to human health and the environment could not be ruled out.