Australian Broadcasting Corporation via Checkbiotech.org

Bayer Cropscience has announced it is business as usual for its genetically modified (GM) canola trials.

Following the announcement by Monsanto that it will cease trials of GM wheat and canola in Australia, general manager of Bayer Cropscience Susie O'Neill says their trials will continue.

Ms O'Neill says Bayer is committed to GM canola as a world crop and farmers in Canada have sown about 1 million hectares of their GM canola.

She says the company has just over 100 hectares of GM canola under trial in Australia.

"Business as usual except that we're looking at small scale breeding trials here," she said.

"[There will be] breeding and testing trials in Australia and not commercialisation or testing supply chain or things like that. It's small scale in 2004."

© 2004 ABC