Braunschweig, Germany - US seed manufacturing giant Monsanto took legal action Wednesday against the German government's ban on the company's genetically modified maize.

The lawsuit, filed at the administrative court in the city of Braunschweig, would need to be resolved by mid-May to give farmers time to plant their crop this year.

Last week, German Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner announced the cultivation ban on Monsanto's MON 810 seeds, over fears that the genetically modified seed could carry risks for animals and other plants.

Austria, France, Greece, Hungary and Luxembourg have also banned Monsanto's MON 810 maize, which has been approved for commercial use in the EU since 1998. (dpa)