|
Bayer CropScience
Hoechst
German chemical and pharmaceutical company founded in the 19th century.
Hoechst was part of IG Farben in the inter-war years (see section
on Bayer). In 1994 Hoechst set up a joint venture with Schering
called AgrEvo. Hoechst merged with Rhone Poulenc in 1999 to form
Aventis.
Schering
German chemical and pharmaceutical company founded in the 19th century.
In 1994 Schering set a joint venture with Hoechst called AgrEvo.
Schering retained a stake in Aventis CropScience which it sold in
2002 as part of the Bayer CropScience deal. Schering still survives
today as a pharmaceutical company and has no involvement in GM crops.
Bayer
German chemical and pharmaceutical company founded in the 19th century.
Between the mid-1920s and mid-1940s Bayer was part of the notorious
IG Farben along with BASF and Hoechst. IG Farben developed chemical
weapons and used slave labour. At the end of WW2 several IG Farben
executives were jailed for war crimes.
Bayer had considerable agro-chemical interests but no direct involvement
in GM crops before its purchase of Aventis CropScience, from Aventis
and Schering in 2002, to form Bayer CropScience. Bayer is the only
large company to hang on to something approaching the life science
concept, keeping agriculture, chemicals, polymers and pharmaceuticals
within one company. See: www.corporatewatch.org.uk/profiles/biotech/bayer/bayer1.html
Aventis
Aventis was established as a French/German life science company
that spanned agriculture and pharmaceuticals. It was formed in 1999
with the merger of Hoechst and Rhone Poulenc. In 2001 following
the Starlink GM contamination scandal, Aventis abandoned the life
science concept and started looking for a buyer for its agricultural
business, Aventis CropScience, which was eventually sold to Bayer
to form Bayer CropScience in 2002. Aventis still exists as a purely
pharmaceutical company and is a classic example of how the life
science concept has failed. See: www.corporatewatch.org.uk/publications/GEBriefings/aventis1.html
Rhone-Poulenc
French chemical and pharmaceutical company founded in the late 19th
century. It conducted a small number of GM crop trials in the UK
in the 1990s before merging with Hoechst to form Aventis in 1999.
AgrEvo
An agro-chemical and GM crops joint venture between Hoechst (60%)
and Schering (40%) formed in 1994. AgrEvo carried out a large number
of GM crop trials in the UK in the 1990s. AgrEvo subsequently went
on to become the major part of Aventis CropScience when Hoechst
and Rhone-Poulenc merged to form Aventis in 1999.
PGS
A small agricultural biotechnology research company attached to
the University of Gent in Belgium. PGS owned a number of important
GM crop patents, including the hybrid technology that Bayer CropScience
now uses in its Seed Link oil seed rape. PGS conducted a number
of GM crop trials in the UK in the mid 1990s. AgrEvo bought PGS
in 1996.
KWS
Large German-based seed company founded in the mid 19th century.
It focuses on cereals, sugar beet and maize. KWS owns UK plant breeders
and seed company CPB Twyford which conducted a small number of GM
crop trials in the UK in the late 1990s. AgrEvo acquired a 15% stake
in KWS in 1994 that is retained by Bayer CropScience.
Aventis Crop Science
French/German agrochemical, seed and GM crops company. Formed in
1999 as part of the creation of Aventis from Hoechst and Rhone Poulenc,
Aventis CropScience (ACS) was jointly owned by Schering (24%) and
Aventis (76%). ACS carried out a large number of GM crop trials
in the UK. Aventis CropScience was sold to Bayer in June 2002 to
form Bayer Crop Science.
Bayer CropScience
Bayer CropScience (BCS) is a German company formed in 2002 with
the acquisition by Bayer of Aventis CropScience from Aventis and
Schering. BCS is 1 of 4 major business groups owned by Bayer AG.
BCS is currently number 2 in global agrochemical sales, selling
GM crops in the US, Canada, Argentina and Australia. It is currently
pushing hard for the commercial growing of GM crops in the UK, Europe
and India. In the UK and much of the EU BCS is the company that
stands to gain most from the commercial growing of GM crops. In
2002 in the UK BCS crops were used in over 85% of GM crop trials.
Bayer CropScience will be the company who make or break 1st generation
GM crops in the UK/EU.
Bayer AG
Bayer AG (global headquarters)
51368 Leverkusen, Germany
Tel: +49-(0)214 / 30-1 www.bayer.com
Bayer plc (UK headquarters)
Bayer House, Strawberry Hill, Newbury
Berkshire RG14 1JA
Tel: 01635 563000 Fax: 01635 563393
Email:corporate.communications@bayer.co.uk
www.bayer.co.uk
Bayer Crop Science
Bayer CropScience (current UK headquarters)
Cambridge Road, Hauxton, Cambridge,
Cambridgeshire, CB2 5HU.
Tel: 01223 870 312 Fax: 01223 872 142
www.bayercropscience.co.uk
Biotech family tree guide: Syngenta
l Monsanto l Resources
|
