Monsanto Canada is offering the following corrective statement in response to incorrect reports by some media outlets that Monsanto Canada's continuing work on the development of Roundup Ready(R) wheat and its ongoing collaborative working relationship with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) was "being abandoned".

At this time, Monsanto Canada remains fully committed to the Roundup Ready wheat project and continues to make good progress against each of the milestones it has outlined for its responsible and successful introduction. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researchers continue their work related to Roundup Ready wheat and agreements signed between the two organizations to complete this work run through 2005.

No public announcement or decision about the long-term research agreements between AAFC and Monsanto Canada was made by either organization and neither organization has "abandoned" or "is abandoning" their work on Roundup Ready wheat.

Working in collaboration with AAFC, Monsanto remains committed to introducing Roundup Ready wheat in the best possible varieties and to ensuring comprehensive, agronomic stewardship programs and best management practices are in place prior to making commercial seed available to farmers. The varietal development and field research completed by AAFC will help provide answers to the many agronomic questions farmers are asking about the benefits of this technology. This research is presently in the process of being analyzed and will be peer-reviewed, published and publicly available in 2004.