Monsanto Company and Bayer CropScience have agreed to cross license their respective herbicide tolerance traits in canola on a non-exclusive basis for commercialisation within their respective branded canola seed businesses.

Under the terms of this global agreement, Monsanto will grant Bayer CropScience access to Monsanto's Genuity Roundup Ready canola trait and Bayer CropScience will grant Monsanto access to its LibertyLink tolerance trait for use in canola.

The agreement also includes specified rights to access, on a non-exclusive basis, future herbicide tolerance traits and other agronomic traits that may be introduced by either party for use in canola.

Further details of the agreement were not disclosed.  

This global agreement between the two trait developers will serve to enhance the opportunity to bring new and improved solutions to Canadian canola growers.

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer CropScience AG, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world's leading innovative cropscience companies in the areas of crop protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds and plant biotechnology.

Monsanto Company is an agricultural company and a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products.