Monsanto's rootworm-protected corn granted regulatory approval in Canada

Winnipeg, Manitoba
March 10, 2003

Monsanto Canada today announced that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Health Canada have completed their safety reviews and granted regulatory approval for YieldGard(R) Rootworm(TM) corn in Canada - the first product designed to control the corn rootworm pest using modern biotechnology.

Monsanto is committed to launching new products only after regulatory approvals have been achieved to enable market access, and after working with farmers to provide benefits both commercially and environmentally.

Very limited seed supplies of YieldGard Rootworm corn will be available to growers in Eastern Canada from DEKALB for 2003 planting. The limited supply for 2003 planting will be used mostly for research and on-farm trials designed to evaluate the benefits of the technology.

"We'll be working with growers to plant side-by-side trials comparing a YieldGard Rootworm hybrid and its isoline treated with a traditional insecticide," says Monsanto Canada seed marketing manager Jamie Rickard. "These trials will show growers that YieldGard Rootworm technology is an effective alternative to traditional insecticides and helps ensure that a hybrid's full yield potential is not reduced by corn rootworm infestation in their fields."

Corn hybrids with YieldGard Rootworm technology contain a protein from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a common soil microbe that specifically targets corn rootworm larvae, allowing the corn plant to protect its roots against the damaging effects of corn rootworm.

"With the protection built into the seed, YieldGard Rootworm corn controls a damaging corn pest while
significantly reducing the amount of insecticide required to protect the crop. This is another milestone in the continued growth of plant biotechnology," says Rob Hannam, product manager for Monsanto Canada. YieldGard Rootworm corn joins Monsanto's "YieldGard" family of insect-protected products for corn, including YieldGard Corn Borer(TM). "We look forward to offering growers stacked combinations of YieldGard products with Monsanto's Roundup Ready(R) trait for weed control in the near future," says Hannam.

YieldGard Rootworm corn has been shown to provide superior season-long corn rootworm control and better consistency compared to corn rootworm insecticides and seed treatments.

"YieldGard Rootworm technology works better regardless of weather, time of planting or field conditions. It's easy to use, requiring no extra equipment, no application handling hassles and it also reduces exposure to corn rootworm insecticides," says Monsanto technology development representative Graham McGregor. 

A recent grower survey conducted by Stratus Agri-Marketing Inc. shows that 11% of corn acres planted in Eastern Canada are treated with a corn insecticide to control corn rootworm. In rootworm infested fields, growers can expect to see yield losses ranging from 10 to 15%.

YieldGard Rootworm corn has the potential to be an effective alternative to traditional insecticides. In confined trials conducted by Monsanto from 2000 to 2002, YieldGard Rootworm hybrids demonstrated a nine-bushel yield advantage over the untreated isoline and met or exceeded the yield of seed treated with leading rootworm insecticides.

In order to ensure that YieldGard Rootworm technology remains an effective management tool into the future, growers will be required to implement insect resistance management (IRM) practices to manage the occurrence of natural resistance by target pests.

As part of the approval granted for food, feed and environmental safety, CFIA requires an IRM program similar to those already in use for earlier Bt products such as YieldGard Corn Borer corn. For YieldGard Rootworm corn, CFIA requires growers to plant a minimum 20% refuge of non-YieldGard Rootworm corn adjacent to or within the YieldGard Rootworm cornfield. This IRM program is consistent with recommendations from the Canadian Corn Pest Coalition, an expert group composed of academics, researchers, industry and government representatives.

Monsanto is a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality.

Roundup Ready, YieldGard, YieldGard Corn Borer and YieldGard Rootworm are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. Monsanto Canada Inc. licensee. 

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