France’s Le Foll to Keep Biotech-Crops Ban, Le Monde Says

French Agriculture Minister Stephane Le Foll wants to keep the country’s moratorium on existing genetically-modified crops, Le Monde said, citing an interview.

Existing genetically-modified crops are “not satisfactory,” and bio-resistance to modified corn in the U.S. is “a real subject of concern,” Le Foll said, according to the daily.

Le Foll said it’s necessary to remain open-minded about research into modified crops, Le Monde wrote. The minister said genetic improvements to improve crop quality or reduce water stress for plants and using biotechnology in traditional plant breeding could be “interesting,” Le Monde wrote.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rudy Ruitenberg in Paris at rruitenberg@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Claudia Carpenter at ccarpenter2@bloomberg.net