as viewed on October 15, 2013

from CorporateWatch Website

 

 

 

Company Structure/Ownership

 

Monsanto are 85% owned by Pharmacia (a merger between Pharmacia/Upjohn and Monsanto). In the UK Monsanto are represented by four companies, Monsanto UK Limited, Monsanto PLC, Monsanto UK Services Company and Monsanto UK Holding Company.

 

Pharmacia (Majority share holder)
Pharmacia Corporation
100Route 206,
North Peapack,
New Jersey 07977
USA
Tel (001) 908-901-8000
Freephone (001) 888-768-5501
www.pnu.com

 

 

 

Monsanto Company (US parent group)
Monsanto Company
Creve Coeur Campus
800 North Lindbergh
St Louis
Missouri 63167
USA
www.monsanto.com/
www.farmsource.com

 

 

 

Share Value
Current share prices for Monsanto Company can be found at http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=MON

 

 

Shareholder Information
Monsanto Company are 85% owned by Pharmacia Corporation. [8]

 

 

Annual Turnover
Monsanto’s Net sales for 2000 were $5.5 billion. [9]

 

 

Board Of Directors [10]

Chairman of the Board
Frank V. AtLee III (60)
Retired president of American Cyanamid Company and former president of Cyanamid International.

 

President and Chief Executive Officer
Hendrik A. Verfaillie (55)
Involved with the old pre merger Monsanto Company since 1976. Director of the old Monsanto since 1999.

 

Director
Hakan Astrom (53)
Senior vice president, strategy and corporate affairs of Pharmacia Corporation.

 

Director
Christopher J. Coughlin (48)
Executive vice president and chief financial officer of Pharmacia Corporation. Formerly president of Nabisco International.

 

Director
Michael (Mickey) Kantor (61)
Formerly US secretary of commerce (1996-1997) and US trade representative (1993-1996). National Chairman for the Clinton/Gore presidential campaign (1992). Currently a partner in international law firm Mayer, Brown Platt and Kantor. Also a director of Pharmacia International.

 

Director
Gwendolyn S. King (60)
President of Podium Prose, speaker’s bureau and speechwriting service. Formerly senior vice president of PECO Energy Company (1992-1998), Commissioner Social Security Administration (1989-1992). Director of Lockheed Martin Corporation and Marsh and McLennan Companies Inc.

 

Director
C. Steven McMillan (55)
President and chief executive officer of Sara Lee Corporation (packaged goods company, brands include Sara Lee, Douwe Egberts, Hillshire Farm, Hanes and Playtex). Formerly president, chief operating officer and executive vice president Sara Lee Corporation (1997-2000). Director Sara Lee Corporation, Pharmacia Corporation and Dynegy Inc.

 

Director
William Parfet (54)
Chairman and chief executive officer of MPI Research Inc (preclinical toxicology and clinical pharmaceutical testing laboratory. Formerly president and chief executive officer of Richard Allan Medical Industries (1993-1996). Also a director of Pharmacia Corporation, CMS Energy Corporation, Stryker Corporation and Sybron International.

 

Director
John S. Reed (62)
Retired chairman of Citigroup Inc (commercial bank and financial services company) (1998-2000). Chairman and chief executive officer Citicorp and Citibank (1984-1998). Also a director of Philip Morris Companies Inc, and a Member of The Business Council.

 

 


 

Monsanto UK Limited [11]

 

Monsanto UK Limited are the public face of Monsanto in the UK.

Registered offices recorded with Companies House
Monsanto UK Limited Company No.04042051 Date incorporated: 27,07,2000
The Maris Centre
45 Hauxton Road
Trumpington
Cambridge
CB2 5HJ

 

Corporate and public affairs office
Monsanto UK Limited
London, W1S 4JW
England
0207 495 8455

 

Research and Development
Monsanto UK Limited (PBI)/ Monsanto Cambridge
Cambridge, CB2 2LQ
England
01223 849200

 

 

Board of Directors for Monsanto UK Limited [12]

Company Secretary and Director:
Colin Gerald Elwell

 

Director
Kenneth Matthew Barker

 

Director
Marc Rene Louisa de Smedt

 

Director
Luc Eduard Maria Leunis

 

Director
Kevin Walsh

 

Director:
Stephen Michael Wildridge,

 

 

Shareholders for Monsanto UK Ltd

100 shares issued, all owned by Monsanto Company (US)

 

 

 

Monsanto PLC [13]


Monsanto PLC are much harder to get to grips with than Monsanto UK Ltd.

 

The only source of information on them that Corporate Watch has accessed is their annual return at Companies House which lists them as manufacturers of basic Pharmaceutical products, fertilizers, nitrogen compounds and other chemical products.

 

Registered offices recorded with Companies House
Monsanto PLC Company No.3326109 Date incorporated: 28/02/1997
PO Box 53
Lane End Road
High Wycombe
Buckinghamshire
HP12 4HL

 

 

Board of Directors for Monsanto PLC [14]

Company Secretary and Director:
Philip Greenhalgh

 

Director
John Graham Lee

 

Shareholders for Monsanto PLC [15]

7081424 shares issued
4 shares owned by Pharmacia Corporation
7081420 shares owned by Monsanto UK Holding Company (current ownership of these shares is uncertain as Monsanto UK Holding Company have been in voluntary liquidation since 25/04/01)

 

 

 

Monsanto UK Services Company [16]


Again Monsanto UK Services Company are hard to get any information on.

 

The only source of information on them that Corporate Watch has accessed is their annual return at Companies House which lists them as dealing with ‘other financial intermediation’.

Registered offices recorded with Companies House
Monsanto UK Services Company Company No.3107476 Date incorporated: 22/09/1995
PO Box 53
Lane End Road
High Wycombe
Buckinghamshire
HP12 4HL

 

Board of Directors for Monsanto UK Services Company
Company Secretary and Director:
Philip Greenhalgh

 

Director
Colin Gerald Elwell

 

Director
Guy Antoine Marie Kersch

 

Director
John Graham Lee

 

 

Shareholders for Monsanto UK Services Company

5000 shares issued
500 shares owned by Monsanto Columbia
4500 shares owned by Pharmacia Corporation

 

 

Monsanto UK Holding Company [17]


Monsanto UK Holding Company is in voluntary liquidation as of 25/04/01.

Registered offices recorded with Companies House
Monsanto UK Holding Company Company No.3326109 Date incorporated: 28/02/1997
C/O KPMG
Aquis Court,
31 Fishpool Street,
St Albans,
Hertfordshire
AL3 4RF

 

 

 

Monsanto Europe


Monsanto’s European Headquarters are in Brussels.

Monsanto Europe/Services International
Avenue de Tervuren 270-272
Brussels, Belgium 1150
Phone: 32-2-776-4111
Back to top

 

 

Subsidiaries

Unless otherwise stated the following companies have either been bought out and subsumed by Monsanto Company or are wholly owned subsidiaries of Monsanto Company. [18]

 

Agracetus

www.agracetus.com
US based genomics and biotechnology company, held broad patents on a range of major crops including GM soya and cotton.

 

 

Asgrow

www.asgrow.com
Acquired by Monsanto in 1997. [19] US seed production and marketing company specializing in research into soya, maize and sorghum. Acquired to develop sales of Monsanto's seeds especially Roundup Ready soybeans

 

 

Calgene
Acquired by Monsanto in 1997. [20] US based biotechnology company, conducting research into GM colored, herbicide tolerant and insect resistant cotton, GM high lauric acid oil seed rape and GM flavor/ shelf life improved tomatoes and strawberries. Marketed the failed Flavr Savr Tomato.

 

 

Cargill’s International Seed Division
In 1998 Monsanto acquires Cargill’s international seed operations in central and south America, Asia, Africa and Europe (excluding the UK). [21] Markets maize, sunflower, rapeseed, soya, alfalfa, sorghum, wheat and rice seed. Monsanto paid US$1.4 billion for Cargill seeds as part of its strategy to quickly spread the use of its GM seed worldwide.

 

 

DeKalb Genetics

www.dekalb.com
A US based plant genetics company acquired for US$ 2.3 billion. in 1998. [22] 2nd largest seed company in the US and 2nd largest maize seed company in the world.

 

 

First Line Seed

www.soybeans.com
Acquired by Monsanto in 1998. [23] US company mainly selling soybeans. Produces Roundup Ready varieties. Main co-operative partnership is with Asgrow. Monsanto Canada owns a major equity stake in First Line Seed.

 

 

EID Parry
An Indian cotton seed producer. [24]

 

 

Holden’s Foundation Seeds
Acquired by Monsanto in 1997 for US$1 billion. [25] A maize genetics business that claims a third of the US seed corn market.

 

 

MAHYCO

www.mahyco.com
India's largest private seed company which enjoys 9% of India’s national seed market and has substantial market shares throughout South Asia. Monsanto India owns 26% of Mahyco. There is a joint venture between Monsanto and Mahyco (50/50) called Mahyco Monsanto Biotech (MMB).

 

This company is attempting to commercially launch Bollgard cotton in India.

 

 

Monsoy
Acquired in 1996 [26]. The largest soybean suppliers in Brazil.

 

 

Plant Breeding International Cambridge Limited
A UK based plant breeding and research institute originally publicly owned and then owned by Unilever prior to its purchase by Monsanto in 1998.[27] Owns a vast collection of grass species and varieties, with numerous breeding programs including potatoes, barley, winter wheat and oil seed rape.

 

 

Sementes Agroceres
Acquired by Monsanto in 1997. [28] A Brazilian seed company with a 30% share in the Brazilian maize seed market.

 

 

 

Joint Ventures

 

  • Renessen LLC

    www.renessen.com
    A 50/50 joint venture between Monsanto and Cargill [29] to manufacture and distribute second generation ‘functional food’ GM crops.

     

    The venture with Cargill bringing together Cargill's global marketing, processing and risk management empire and Monsanto's expertise in developing GM crops. Renessen LLC will initially develop and market GM products for the grain processing and animal feed markets, including GM maize, soybeans and wheat products with altered nutritional properties for use in animal feed.

     

    Other GM products in the pipeline are oil seeds and wheat varieties with altered processing properties.

     

     

  • ConAgra

    www.conagra.com/basic_foods.jsp
    An international grain dealer and food processor. Monsanto made agreements with them in June 1999 to segregate and ship GM grain to countries which will accept these crops. This was set up in response to the anti-GM political situation in the EU.

     

     

  • Monsanto has two GM forestry projects. (information from Feeding the Hungry Transnationals)

     

     

  • Announced in 1999 this $60million R&D project over 5 years is with the US based companies:

    Focusing on eucalyptus, poplar, pine and sweet-gum species the venture hopes to develop traits such as herbicide tolerance, higher growth rates and a more uniform fibre quality. All these developments mainly focus around the paper industry.

     

     

  • Established in 1996 Monfori Nusantra is a venture being carried out with ForBio an Australian plant Biotechnology company. They are trialing fast growing trees such as teak, acacia, mangium and eucalyptus, to be used in the pulp/paper industry. The trials are taking place in Indonesia.

 

 

 

Monsanto and water

 

Prior to the merger with Pharmacia, Monsanto was making plans to launch a new water business, starting in India and Mexico since both these countries are facing water shortages.

 

It is uncertain whether this business is being pursued by the new Monsanto. As part of its efforts to enter the water business, Monsanto has stake in WaterHealth International (WHI) with an option to buy the rest of the business.

 

WaterHealth International has a patent on a water purification technology that uses UV light to kill practically all water-borne bacteria and viruses. [30]

 

 

 

 

References

[8] www.monsanto.co.uk/monsantouk/monsantouk.html
[9] www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=MON&script=700&layout=7
[10] information from Monsanto Annual Report 2000 available online at www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=MON&script=700&layout=7 information accurate on 1/3/2001
[11] Information from Companies House and www.monsanto.co.uk/
[12] Information from Companies House, Monsanto UK Ltd Annual Return, 11/07/01
[13] Information from Companies House annual return 02/02/01
[14] Information from Companies House, Monsanto PLC Annual Return, 02/02/01
[15] Information from Companies House, Monsanto PLC Annual Return, 02/02/01
[16] Information from Companies House, annual return 21/08/01
[17] Information from Companies House, Monsanto UK Holding Company List of Current Appointments 17/09/01
[18] Information from Feeding the Hungry Multinationals and www.monsanto.com/monsanto/about_us/company_timeline/index6.html
[19] www.monsanto.com/monsanto/media/97/97dec10_agreement.html
[20] www.monsanto.com/monsanto/media/97/97apr1_calgene.html
[21] www.monsanto.com/monsanto/media/98/98jun29_Cargill.html
[22] www.monsanto.com/monsanto/media/98/98dec7_Dekalb.html
[23] www.monsanto.com/monsanto/media/98/98jun1_Firstline.html
[24] www.transnationale.org/anglais/fiches/194938047.htm
[25] www.monsanto.com/monsanto/media/97/97jan6_corn.html
[26] www.monsanto.com.br/agricultura/semente/soja/monsoy/tefranquia.htm
[27] www.monsanto.com/monsanto/media/98/98jul15_PBIC.html
[28] www.monsanto.com/monsanto/media/97/97nov24_brazilian.html
[29] www.monsanto.com/monsanto/media/98/98may14_cargill.html
[30] For further information www.afd-online.org/wto/monsanto-monopoly-seeds2water.htm