Golden Valley, Minnesota
August 23, 2007
Syngenta announced today that it has obtained full
regulatory approval in Japan for Agrisure® RW, its corn rootworm
insect control corn seed. Agrisure RW now has full approval in
the United States, Canada, and Japan, and import approval in
Australia and New Zealand.
Syngenta’s innovation in genetics and traits such as Agrisure RW
is helping growers meet the rapidly expanding demand for corn.
The Agrisure brand spans a wide range of products bringing new
choices to growers including Agrisure CB/LL, Agrisure GT,
Agrisure RW, Agrisure GT/RW, Agrisure GT/CB/LL, Agrisure
CB/LL/RW and Agrisure 3000GT.
In this introductory year, Agrisure RW growers participated in a
comprehensive stewardship program to ensure their grain would
remain in domestic markets. With this approval, Agrisure RW
grain can now be accepted by elevators exporting grain to Japan.
However, Syngenta is committed to and will continue to implement
the grain stewardship program with growers through the end of
2007. In 2008, Agrisure RW will be part of the seed industry’s
Market Choices grain direction program.
Syngenta is a world-leading agribusiness committed to
sustainable agriculture through innovative research and
technology. The company is a leader in crop protection, and
ranks third in the high-value commercial seeds market. Sales in
2006 were approximately $8.1 billion. Syngenta employs around
21,000 people in over 90 countries. Syngenta is listed on the
Swiss stock exchange (SYNN) and in New York (SYT). Further
information is available at
www.syngenta.com.
RELATED RELEASE from the U.S.
National Corn Growers Association
St. Louis, Missouri
August 23, 2007
Agrisure trait cleared for Japanese
export - National Corn Growers Association reminds U.S. growers
to maintain market channeling programs
The National Corn Growers
Association (NCGA) is pleased with today’s announcement that
Syngenta’s Agrisure Rootworm trait (MIR 604) received approvals
from the Japanese government. However NCGA reminds growers to
adhere to their stewardship agreements when harvesting their
grain.
Syngenta announced today that Agrisure RW now has full approval
in the United States, Canada, and Japan, and import approval in
Australia and New Zealand.
“One of the real wins in this is that U.S. corn can continue to
flow freely to our major export market, and there will be no new
testing procedures for our markets or our growers,” says NCGA
President Ken McCauley.
Throughout the past year McCauley says NCGA worked with growers,
industry and Japan. “We kept growers informed on the status of
this approval, continued outreach with industry and the
specifics of our biotechnology policy, and kept lines of
communication open with the Japanese, which means the grain can
flow freely,” he explains.
The regulatory process is time-consuming, says Martin Barbre,
chairman of NCGA’s Biotechnology Working Group. “NCGA and other
members of the industry have worked together to address all
questions the Japanese had,” he says. “We appreciate the close
cooperation and open communication that resulted in resolving
all the issues surrounding Agrisure RW’s approval, and look
forward to continuing a close working relationship with the
Japanese.”
Japan is the United States’ largest corn importer.
When Agrisure RW was approved in the United States, Syngenta
required growers to participate in a comprehensive stewardship
program to ensure the grain would remain in domestic markets.
While Agrisure RW grain can now be accepted by elevators
exporting grain to Japan, Syngenta will continue to implement
the grain stewardship program with growers through the end of
2007. In 2008, Agrisure RW will be part of the seed industry’s
Market Choices grain direction program.
McCauley reminds growers to keep informed about the export
status of all their crops. The NCGA Know Before You Grow Program
includes information on the regulatory status of corn from more
than 70 seed companies.
“We need to take every precaution to make sure our products are
sold to the appropriate markets,” cautions McCauley. “That means
growers should contact their buyers to ensure they are accepting
grain from Agrisure RW hybrids.”
The National Corn Growers Association’s mission is to create
and increase opportunities for corn growers. NCGA represents
more than 32,000 members and 47 affiliated state organizations
and hundreds of thousands of growers who contribute to state
checkoff programs. For more information on NCGA, log on to
www.ncga.com.
Other news
from the National Corn
Growers Association |
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