Monsanto Company announced on July 22 that the European Commission has granted import approval for Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans.
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The authorisation decisions do not cover cultivation.
The EU Commission authorized the three GM traits today.
After a long delay, the European Union has approved three biotech soybean traits for import and processing, according to the U.S. Soybean Export Council.
“Any products produced from these GMOs will be subject to the EU’s strict labelling and traceability rules”, the Commission said in a statement. The approved soybean traits are Monsanto’s soybean MON 87708 x MON 89788, soybean MON 87705 x MON 89788 and Bayer CropScience’s soybean FG 72.
US seed company Monsanto’s genetically modified products and weed-killer are politically sensitive in Europe, where consumer and green groups have campaigned against them over potential health and environmental risks.
The ruling removes uncertainty for Monday, which already had sold the seeds to farmers this year, and for grain companies, some of which had refused to purchase the soybeans from farmers without approval from the EU.
Monsanto’s Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybean seeds are genetically engineered to resist the herbicides glyphosate and dicamba.
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Xtend includes dicamba and glyphosate tolerance, which will eventually allow for over-the-top use of both herbicides in soybeans. “After a decade of work, we’re excited to give growers this opportunity to continue to maximize their yields with these weed management recommendations”. “It’s important to remind growers that, at this time, there are still no dicamba formulations registered for in-crop use in Roundup Ready 2 Xtend Soybeans or Bollgard II XtendFlex in the United States”, said Miriam Paris, U.S. soybean marketing manager. The groups reiterated the need for a robust, predictable European Union. It also noted that timely approval would “avoid the risk of unnecessary costs and disruption to the essential supply of feedstocks needed by the EU’s livestock, poultry and feed industries, which are more than 70 percent dependent on imports of protein”.
