Safety Roundup Ready corn reaffirmed in European Union
European food regulators issued a favourable scientific opinion on Monsanto Co.’s Roundup Ready 2 corn product for cultivation and reaffirmed the safety of its insect-protected corn trait.
In its opinion, the European Food Safety Authority confirmed that the biotech company’s YieldGard Insect-Protected Corn (MON 810) is safe for cultivation, animal feed and human consumption.
The in-depth safety review of the insect-protected corn borer technology 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.
The European Commission is now required to propose renewal of the existing product approval before any bans on the product can be lifted in France and Germany.
Earlier this year, Germany banned the use and sale of the genetically modified corn, alleging it is harmful to wildlife. France, Austria, Hungary, Greece and Luxembourg also banned the corn.
Following a four-year review, EFSA scientists 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, Monsanto said.
In 2008, farmers in seven EU Member States planted YieldGard corn 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.
Join 26,000+ subscribers
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated about all the need-to-know content in the feed sector, three times a week.
