Saint Louis, Missouri
July 24, 2008
The American Soybean
Association (ASA) is pleased that final regulatory approvals
have been received in Mexico, Australia and New Zealand for
Monsanto’s Roundup Ready 2 Yield™ (MON 89788). U.S. soybean
producers anticipate commercialization of this new product in
2009. ASA also applauds the action of the European Food Safety
Authority (EFSA), which has issued a positive scientific opinion
concluding Roundup Ready 2 Yield is safe for import as food or
feed.
"These regulatory decisions by Mexico, Australia, New Zealand
and EFSA’s positive technical and scientific assessment,
represent significant steps forward in delivering Roundup Ready
to Yield soybeans to farmers," said ASA President John Hoffman,
a soybean producer from Waterloo, Iowa. "It is my understanding
that Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans will offer a 7 to 11 percent
yield advantage over first-generation Roundup Ready beans, while
providing the same tolerance to the Roundup herbicides we are
now using to manage weeds. Higher soybean yields increase the
ability of U.S. soybean growers to supply food, feed and fuel
markets domestically and around the globe."
Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans have completed the regulatory
process in both the United States and Canada, and were recently
approved in Japan, the Philippines and Taiwan. Now the product
has also been given a positive opinion by the EFSA that it is
safe for import as food or feed. We now look forward to the EU
Member States endorsing this positive opinion of their
scientific experts in a timely manner and thus finalizing the
import approval process.
"More than 90 percent of the soybeans planted in the United
States this year were biotech varieties," Hoffman said. "U.S.
growers look forward to the next generation of biotech-enhanced
soybean varieties now under development that will offer
important benefits to consumers, growers and the environment,
ranging from healthy oil profiles to increased yields per unit
of land to better weed control."
"Timely overseas regulatory approvals are critical because
growers around the world have rapidly adopted new
biotech-enhanced seed varieties as they became available,"
Hoffman said. "The positive EFSA opinion on safety is an
important step toward gaining approval within the European
Union."
"Livestock farmers and feed industries around the world depend
on access to imported, protein-rich soybeans and soybean meal to
nourish their animals and meet the food demands of consumers,"
Hoffman said. "U.S. soybean growers welcome these latest
approvals in Mexico, Australia and New Zealand, and we look
forward to timely regulatory approvals in other important export
markets well prior to planting in the spring of 2009."
Monsanto’s Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans will be introduced on
1 million to 2 million acres for the 2009 season as part of a
controlled commercial release, followed by a large-scale product
launch of 5 million to 6 million acres scheduled for 2010.
Biotech-enhanced varieties of herbicide tolerant soybean seeds
were first commercialized more than a decade ago. Herbicide
tolerant seeds have become a standard in U.S. farmer management
systems to control weeds that compete with crops for light,
water and nutrients. The technology provides farmers with an
unprecedented weed management tool, which has led to increased
conservation tillage practices that sequester carbon, reduce
production costs, lower fuel consumption, reduce run-off,
improve water quality, and save irreplaceable top soil.
The American Soybean Association is the policy, domestic
marketing, new uses, research and international marketing
advocate of the U.S. soybean farmer. ASA is a membership
organization representing 26,000 soybean producers. It's mission
is to improve U.S. soybean farmer profitability. |
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