Research Triangle Park, North
Carolina
September 21, 2007
LibertyLink® soybeans are a step
closer to reaching commercialization now that the
European Food Safety
Authority has issued a positive safety opinion on
LibertyLink soybean (A2704-12).
LibertyLink soybeans will bring important benefits to soybean
farmers in the United States and Canada by providing an
effective alternative to the Roundup Ready® system widely used
today. The LibertyLink trait in soybeans will deliver similar
benefits to that system – less tillage, labor, and equipment
usage, and the ease and convenience of non-selective,
post-emergent weed control – with the added advantage of being a
highly effective tool in the management of glyphosate resistant
weeds, an increasing problem in U.S. soybean production areas.
According to leaders in the soybean industry, the LibertyLink
system will be welcomed by soybean farmers. The
American Soybean Association
sees the use of different weed management options as critical
for herbicide resistance management and sustainable soybean
production.
Bayer CropScience
is currently collaborating with leading soybean breeding
companies to develop well-adapted and high-yielding LibertyLink
soybean varieties.
“Growers can expect LibertyLink varieties to be highly
competitive in both yield and agronomic performance,” said Andy
Hurst, Bayer CropScience product manager. “In addition, Liberty®
herbicide offers soybean growers the added benefit of being
highly effective on glyphosate resistant weeds as well as
glyphosate tolerant volunteers.”
The company anticipates receiving full import approvals for
LibertyLink soybeans in the EU, China and other key importing
countries prior to planned commercial introduction. To date,
LibertyLink soybeans are fully approved for food, feed and
cultivation in the United States and Canada; for importation
into Australia, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Taiwan and South
Africa; and for food use in Russia.
Bayer CropScience LP is the U.S. business of Bayer
CropScience, which has its global headquarters in Monheim,
Germany. Bayer CropScience, a subsidiary of Bayer AG with annual
sales of about EUR 5.7 billion (2006), is one of the world’s
leading innovative crop science companies in the areas of crop
protection; non-agricultural pest control, including consumer
lawn and garden; seeds; and plant biotechnology. The company
offers an outstanding range of products and extensive service
backup for modern, sustainable agriculture and for
non-agricultural applications. Bayer CropScience has a global
workforce of about 17,900 and is represented in more than 120
countries, ensuring proximity to dealers and consumers.
Liberty® and LibertyLink® are trademarks of Bayer CropScience.
Roundup Ready® is a trademark of Monsanto Company. |
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