Monsanto has no plans to move its genetically-modified crop trials out of the State despite recent attacks and threats by some British biotechnology companies to move to mainland Europe.
The company's business manager, Dr Patrick O'Reilly, said yesterday he was happy that gardai were investigating attacks on crops in Cork and Wexford. He insisted Monsanto would not be deterred from continuing its trials programme here.
"We're disappointed and annoyed by what's happened. But we're still getting a lot of support from the farming community in terms of interest in the trials, and we're satisfied that the people carrying out these attacks don't represent majority public opinion," he said.
He added that Monsanto was not interested in making trial locations secret or in concentrating trials at a single, high-security site. "That would give the impression there was something wrong with it, whereas it's perfectly safe."
However, he said if the Government took the approach of other EU countries, giving more general locations for trial sites, Monsanto would have no objection.
Yesterday's Financial Times reported that the biotechnology industry in Britain might take its crop trials to mainland Europe if the British government could not protect them.
Some of next year's trials could be moved to France, the Netherlands or Denmark, the chairman of an industry-wide support body told the newspaper. Mr Roger Turner, of Scimac, added: "It depends on how amenable the government is to being less precise on the identification of sites, and whether green groups can act more responsibly."
There has been a recent surge in attacks on crops in Britain, including one in Norfolk led by Lord Melchett, of the environmental pressure group Greenpeace.
The British government has published the location of four new trial crops, sparking protests from the biotechnology industry. However, it said that if attacks continued it would review its decision to publicise the location of 75 sites due to be used next year.
Meanwhile, stricter curbs on the growing of genetically-modified crops have been demanded by the new Liberal Democrat leader, Mr Charles Kennedy.
Mr Kennedy criticised the government for failing to adequately address public concern on the issue. He called for genuine consultation with local people in advance of field trials.
In a policy document to be presented to next month's party conference he will stress the importance of field trials for genetically-modified crops not taking place near farms with species which could be adversely affected by cross-pollination.
He will also warn that existing guidelines on distances between crops are insufficient, and call for an impact assessment to be carried out by independent assessors instead of by the company running the trial.
