Feb. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Monsanto Co., the world’s largest seed producer, is asking that Germany’s agriculture ministry consider “scientific facts” rather than politics regarding possible restrictions of genetically altered corn.

“We hope that politics stays out of this decision,” Andreas Thierfelder, a spokesman for the St. Louis-based seed developer, said today in an interview. “There are no scientific reasons for a ban.”

Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner was quoted in this morning’s Berliner Zeitung as saying the government may revoke a license for the cultivation of Monsanto’s genetically modified corn because neither consumers nor farmers want it. About 2,700 hectares (6,670 acres) of MON810 corn have been planted in Europe’s largest market, the country’s farmers’ association says.

A year ago, Germany passed legislation to overturn a decade- long freeze on the sale of MON180 seeds made by the previous Social Democrat-Green Party coalition government. The genetically modified corn, widely grown in the U.S., is used in animal feed.

As part of the agreement, Monsanto is obliged to monitor fields where the corn is grown for environmental impacts and the spread of it beyond approved cultivated areas, Thierfelder said. A report on the monitoring will be published on March 31, after which a decision can be made by the Agriculture Ministry to change the agreement or ban further cultivation, he added.

So far, there has been no change to rules governing genetically modified maize, said Judith Kons, a spokeswoman for the ministry. Officials from the ministry are waiting for results from the monitoring program, she said.

Spain and Portugal are Monsanto’s biggest customers in the 27-state European Union with about 100,000 hectares of MON180, while France has banned the crop completely. The U.S. had 55 million hectares of GM corn in 2006.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jeremy van Loon in Berlin at jvanloon@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: February 18, 2009 11:55 EST