November 4, 2009
                      

The European Commission announced that it has approved a biotech corn product for food, feed, import and processing jointly developed by DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred and Dow AgroSciences LLC.

Corn products containing the Herculex RW protection trait stacked with Roundup Ready Corn 2 (also known as 59122/NK603) are now permitted for import into the EU.

Products containing the stacked trait were assessed to be safe for use in food and feed by the EU's own independent scientific authority, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), in December 2008, and already have been approved in eight countries around the world.

Pending publication in the Official Journal in the coming days, this product now is authorised for import into the EU in accordance with EU regulations, including the appropriate labeling and traceability of the products and their derivatives.

Herculex RW contains the Bt trait to provide an environmentally improved means of protecting corn plants against attacks by the corn rootworm by reducing the need to use insecticides. The Roundup Ready Corn 2 gene allows growers to effectively and efficiently control weeds in their fields, allowing the corn plants to achieve their full yield potential.

The Herculex RW, Roundup Ready Corn 2 stack was developed from traditional breeding methods of two genetically modified corn lines (59122 corn and NK603 corn) and contains no new genetic modifications. Herculex RW and Roundup Ready Corn 2 were approved by the EU for food, feed, import and processing in October 2007 and March 2005, respectively.

Dow AgroSciences LLC, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, US, is an agricultural company that provides innovative technologies for crop protection, pest and vegetation management, seeds, traits, and agricultural biotechnology.

Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, is the world's leading source of customised solutions for farmers, livestock producers and grain and oilseed processors. With headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, Pioneer provides access to advanced plant genetics in nearly 70 countries.