The paper examines the German government’s 2009 decision to suspend the cultivation of Bt maize variety MON810, focusing on the scientific justifications provided. It argues that the suspension was based on an incomplete review of relevant literature and misrepresented the risk assessment process, as the majority of studies indicated no significant impact on non-target animals. The paper concludes that the German government overlooked extensive meta-analyses and broader scientific knowledge that generally show Bt maize to have a lower impact compared to traditional insecticides.