Aventis Fires Top Managers in Wake of StarLink Scandal

February 12, 2001
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Aventis Fires Top Managers
In Wake of StarLink Episode

By VANESSA FUHRMANS
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Aventis SA fired the head of its U.S. crop-science division and two other
top managers, according to people close to the company, the first such
ousters at the company after traces of its genetically modified StarLink
corn, not yet approved for human consumption, were discovered in taco shells
and other food products late last year.

Company officials confirmed that Maurice Delage, president of Aventis
CropScience USA, left the company Friday, along with Ed Makowski, vice
president of market development, and Karen Weiner, general counsel. While
the company wouldn't attribute their departures directly to the StarLink
episode, people close to the company said Alain Godard, chairman of Aventis
CropScience world-wide, asked for their resignations to "restore confidence"
in the wake of debacle. "This is an opportunity to move forward with new
management," a spokeswoman said.

Once considered a potential blockbuster for Aventis CropScience, StarLink
has become an embarrassing lesson in how difficult it is to regulate
genetically modified products. U.S. regulators allowed Aventis to license
the technology to seed companies, even though it wasn't yet approved for
human consumption, on condition that it be used only for livestock or
industrial purposes. But somewhere along the commercial chain that includes
seed distributors, farmers and elevator operators, small amounts of StarLink
became mixed with the U.S. food-corn supply, triggering recalls of taco
shells by food producers, a drop in U.S. corn exports and the withdrawal of
StarLink from the U.S. market.

The blunder already has cost Aventis 100 million euros ($91.9 million) --
the amount it set aside in the fourth quarter of last year to buy up last
year's StarLink crop to prevent further contamination and fund other
measures. But company officials say the amount could be several times that
much. Last month, Aventis's U.S. crop-science division signed a binding
agreement with 17 state attorneys general to reimburse farmers who lost
money growing the corn.

Reached at his home in Morrisville, N.C., near Aventis CropScience's U.S.
headquarters, Mr. Delage declined to comment on his departure from Aventis
CropScience. A former executive at Agrevo, Hoechst AG's
agricultural-sciences business before it merged with Rhone Poulenc to form
Aventis last year, Mr. Delage had been with the company for more than 20
years. Ms. Weiner also declined comment. Mr. Makowski couldn't be reached
for comment.