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Last GM crop developer leaves German soil

BASF, the last firm still developing genetically modified crops in Germany is stopping its work, admitting defeat in the face of widespread European opposition to to the idea.

Published: 17 January 2012 12:04 CET

Last GM crop developer leaves German soil

Photo: DPA

This follows decisions by Bayer and Syngenta to stop their genetically modified (GM) crop work in Germany over the last few years.

BASF’s plant biotechnology division will be moved to the United States, the group announced on Monday, completing what the Financial Times Deutschland (FTD) described as an exodus of green biotech.

The 13 years it has taken for the European Union to approve BASF’s GM potato varieties Amflora, opposition from consumers and farmers and even attacks on some of the test fields all contributed to the decision to uproot the division, Stefan Marcinowski, BASF board member told the FTD.

“The framework conditions have deteriorated so far that we must acknowledge for the foreseeable future that we have no chance of a successful commercialisation of GM plants in Europe,” he said.

Globally, GM crops are seen as a growth industry, with a nearly 50 percent growth in the area of land under GM cultivation between 2006 and 2010, to reach 148 million hectares, the paper said, but added that most of this was in North and South America.

Europeans have largely accepted genetic engineering for the production of medicines, but concern rises when modified genetic organisms leave the laboratory and mix with conventional foodstuffs.

“We do not want these plants to get into the fields because they cannot be controlled,” said Dirk Zimmermann, biologist at environmental group Greenpeace.

The German biotech industry group (DIB) rejected the resistance as irrational. “The biotech companies will sooner or later draw their conclusions from the fact that in Germany and Europe, the outside cultivation of genetically modified plants has been hindered for many years for political or ideological reasons,” said Ricardo Gent, manager of the DIB.

BASF said it would continue the licensing procedure with the European authorities, but said 140 jobs would be lost.

The Local/hc

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Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Munich ranks third in German cities with the highest total GDP, behind Berlin and Hamburg, but in terms of GDP per capita, it’s higher than both of them.

It also consistently ranks high, often highest, in terms of average household income.

As of 2023, nine of the 40 companies listed on DAX, Germany’s stock index, were based in Bavaria. Seven of those are based specifically in Munich.

While Frankfurt is commonly known to be Germany’s business capital, Munich can claim the title of Germany’s insurance capital, which is saying something, as Germany is home to some of the largest insurance firms in the world, like Allianz.

Beyond the state’s capital city, a number of international companies are based elsewhere in Bavaria, particularly in the Franken region, near Nuremberg.

Which companies actively hire English speakers?

Bavaria, and Munich in particular, is home to a number of companies at the forefront of international business. But the state is known for its traditional, sometimes conservative, culture, which affects its business culture as well.

Whereas companies embracing English as their primary business language are easy to find in Berlin, the practice is less common in the south. That said, there are some notable exceptions.

Sportswear giants, Adidas and Puma, both have their headquarters near Nuremberg in Herzogenaurach, and regularly recruit English speaking international talent.

“As an international company, our teams reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities,” Jon Greenhalgh, Senior Manager Media Relations for Adidas told The Local. “Fostering a culture of inclusion where we value and leverage differences, ensures that we can authentically engage with our employees and truly connect with our consumers.”

He added that around 40 per cent of Adidas’ Germany-based employees are foreign nationals, from over 100 different countries.

Siemens and BMW rank among Bavaria’s top employers, and are also known to hire their fair share of foreigners.

“In Germany, we recently had around 2,000 open positions,” Konstanze Somborn told The Local on behalf of Siemens AG.

He added that Siemens operates in 190 countries. “That is why we value international teams very much…English as a common language is very usual.”

READ ALSO: ‘Which German companies want to hire foreigners?’

Similarly, BMW hires workers from a variety of backgrounds.

“Every year, we hire lots of internationals and welcome them to the BMW Group,” Dr. Hans-Peter Ketterl, a press spokesman for BMW Group told The Local.

But not all of these positions are available to non-German speakers.

Ketterl added that BMW’s working language is German in the country, even though, “English is an indispensable entry requirement as the second corporate language in many areas of the company.”

Check job boards and follow best practices

If it’s your first time applying for jobs in Germany, make sure to change your resume to the German format, even for English positions.

While Germany is home to its own job boards, like Xing, LinkedIn is probably the best place to start. In addition to searching for positions based in your preferred location, you can check relevant groups, like Munich Startups, to broaden your horizons.

The English Jobs in Germany website is also a good resource to start with.

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