November 7, 2007

Argentina cancels transgenic corn tracking after EU approval

Argentina has cancelled a tracking program for a recently approved transgenic corn seed after the European Union approved the strain, according to a resolution published in the Official Bulletin this week.

At the end of August, Monsanto Company's bundled MG and RR2 transgenic corn seed variety was approved for planting in Argentina. A bundled trait combines two distinct transgenic characteristics into one seed variety.

The seeds are genetically modified to produce a substance toxic to corn borer parasites and for glyphosate resistance, widely used as a herbicide to control weeds.

The government had imposed a tracking and certification program to ensure that the corn grown from the seed didn't make it to the EU, where it had not yet been approved.

However, the EU's approval of the bundled corn strain on October 24 makes the tracking unnecessary, according to the National Seed Institute, or INASE.

Monsanto has a small amount of the bundled MG and RR2 seeds ready for this year's crop, which will be used to test the technology, Monsanto Argentina spokesman Federico Ovejero said recently.

The new variety is expected to boost corn yields by 5 to 7 percent, Monsanto said in a recent release.

Argentine farmers already use seeds modified to produce the insect toxin in about 60 percent of the corn crop, according to Monsanto.