St. Louis, Missouri
June 29, 2009
Monsanto Company (NYSE:
MON) announced today that experts at the European Food Safety
Authority (EFSA) issued a favorable scientific opinion on
Monsanto's Roundup Ready 2 corn product for cultivation and
reconfirmed the safety of its YieldGard insect-protected corn
trait.
"These announcements from the European Union demonstrate a
strong commitment to science-based decision-making to allow
farmers to choose biotech crops for their farms," said Jerry
Hjelle, regulatory lead for Monsanto. "These are critical steps
forward in affirming the safety and benefits of biotech crops."
EU underscores safety of YieldGard insect-protected corn
The company welcomed the news that the European Food Safety
Authority (EFSA) has once again underscored the safety of
YieldGard insect-protected corn.
In its opinion, EFSA confirmed that the product, also known as
MON 810, is safe for cultivation, animal feed and human
consumption.
The in-depth safety review of the YieldGard insect-protected
corn borer technology, which protects corn plants from the
devastating effects of the European corn borer insect, is
required every 10 years. The original review and approval of MON
810 in the European Union occurred in 1998. The extensive
scientific review considered all of the new safety studies
conducted since then.
"Millions of farmers across the globe have been cultivating
YieldGard for well over a decade, and its safety and benefits
have been proven time and again," said Dusty Post, global corn
technology lead for Monsanto. "The technology not only helps to
provide superior grain yields to farmers, but assists in
dramatically reducing or eliminating outright the need for
pesticide applications to control the corn borer pest."
YieldGard works by enabling corn plants to produce a protein
called Cry1Ab which comes from a naturally-occurring bacteria
called Bacillus thuringiensis, commonly known as Bt. When the
corn borer pest attacks and eats a portion of the plant, the
protein then adheres to the gut of the insect and causes it to
stop feeding. Prior to the discovery of YieldGard technology,
corn borers were commonly controlled by applying insecticide
over the crop.
In 2008, farmers in seven EU Member States planted YieldGard
corn borer technology on the more than 107,000 hectares, or more
than 264,000 acres. Around the world, farmers use the technology
to protect on-farm yields on more than 22 million hectares or
more than 50 million acres annually.
Following the positive opinion from EFSA, the European
Commission is now required to propose renewal of the existing
MON 810 approval for cultivation and all other uses, as for
conventional maize, so that European farmers can continue to
have access to MON 810 hybrids in the future. This proposal will
be considered by the Regulatory Committee, comprising
representatives of all 27 EU Member States.
Completion of the renewal process is also a condition for the
lifting of Member State bans on the cultivation of the MON 810
in countries including France and Germany.
EFSA supports Roundup Ready 2 Corn for all uses including
cultivation
Scientists at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) also
confirmed that herbicide-tolerant Roundup Ready 2 corn is as
safe as conventional maize for all uses, including cultivation,
across the entire European Union.
The EFSA declaration follows an extensive four-year review of
scientific information on Monsanto's Roundup Ready Corn 2
technology, also known as NK603. EFSA, working in conjunction
with the 27 EU Member States, reviewed an extensive volume of
information on the product's safety, including a comprehensive
set of safety studies conducted according to EU and
international guidelines, and numerous peer-reviewed and
published scientific articles. Following the positive opinion
from EFSA, the European Commission can now draft a proposal for
approval for consideration by the Commission's Regulatory
Committee.
"This step is an exciting milestone for European farmers and an
important step forward in the decision-making process around
genetically-engineered crops in the European Union," Post said.
"For years this technology has been providing valuable economic,
agronomic and environmental benefits to millions of farmers
throughout the world; it's welcome news."
Corn farmers across the globe use the Roundup Ready technology
on more than 30 million hectares (75 m acres) as a highly
effective weed management option that helps protect yields.
Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of
technology-based solutions and agricultural products that
improve farm productivity and food quality. Monsanto remains
focused on enabling both small-holder and large-scale farmers to
produce more from their land while conserving more of our
world's natural resources such as water and energy.
Roundup, Roundup Ready2 Yield and YieldGard are registered
trademarks of Monsanto Company. |
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