Biotechnology giant Monsanto has failed to win approval for a commercial-scale trial of genetically modified crops in Australia after objections from Australian wheat exporter AWB.


The New South Wales government said it had rejected Monsanto’s application to cultivate 3,000 hectares of GM canola, reported Agence France Presse.


NSW Agriculture Minister Ian Macdonald said AWB had voiced concerns that the country’s wheat export market could be negatively affected by the trial.


“AWB is the largest exporter by a significant factor, we have to be very careful we don’t upset their markets,” Macdonald was quoted by AFP as saying.