Monsanto Company announced that experts at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued a favourable scientific opinion on Monsanto’s Roundup Ready 2 corn product for cultivation and reconfirmed the safety of its YieldGard insect-protected corn trait.
“These announcements from the European Union demonstrate a strong commitment to science-based decision-making to allow farmers to choose biotech crops for their farms,” said Jerry Hjelle, regulatory lead for Monsanto.
“These are critical steps forward in affirming the safety and benefits of biotech crops,” Hjelle said. The company welcomed the news that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has once again underscored the safety of YieldGard insect-protected corn.
In its opinion, EFSA confirmed that the product, also known as MON 810, is safe for cultivation, animal feed and human consumption. Following the positive opinion from EFSA, the European Commission is now required to propose renewal of the existing MON 810 approval for cultivation and all other uses, as for conventional maize, so that European farmers can continue to have access to MON 810 hybrids in the future. This proposal will be considered by the Regulatory Committee, comprising representatives of all 27 EU
Member States. The in-depth safety review of the YieldGard insect-protected corn borer technology, which protects corn plants from the devastating effects of the European corn borer insect, 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.
“Millions of farmers across the globe have been cultivating YieldGard for well over a decade, and its safety and benefits have been proven time and again,” said Dusty Post, global corn technology lead for Monsanto.