Monsanto and Genetically Modified Organisms

The case analyses the failed introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMO) in Europe by Monsanto. Showing how a favourable context (the legacy of mad-cow disease) made it relatively easy for consumer groups and environmentalists to wage successful anti-GMO campaigns in Europe, the case examines how Monsanto attempted to deal with its image problem and how the company s efforts backfired. The case then moves on to show how the industry's public-relations crisis grew into a transatlantic trade dispute pitching the U.S. administration against the E.U. Commission, analyzing the legal, economic and political issues raised by the dispute.