GM corn

"Today’s approval is encouraging and we look forward to continued progress in the EU biotech approval process" said Dean Oestreich, DuPont vice president and general manager and president of Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business. "We urge the Commission to ensure similar treatment for cultivation applications so that Europe’s farmers can enjoy the same benefits as millions of other farmers around the world"

These products have been deemed safe by the EU’s own independent scientific authority, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and have already been approved in numerous other countries around the world. Both products are now authorized for import into the EU in accordance with EU regulations, including the appropriate labeling and traceability of the products and their derivatives.

The EU decision to give Herculex the green light has brought some relief to pig and poultry producers, who have seen their margins slashed over the last six months as a result of spiralling feed costs.

"These approvals tell us that the EU recognizes both the safety and benefits of our biotech products" said Dow AgroSciences President and CEO Jerome Peribere, "and the importance of a functioning approval process that ensures continued access to these products as important ingredients for animal feed for Europe’s livestock producers"

Herculex® RW has been genetically modified with the Bt trait to provide a means of protecting corn plants against destructive insect attacks with a reduced environmental footprint. Herculex® RW helps reduce pesticide applications and, because it produces more grain on the same land area, it improves farm productivity and profitability - sustainable agriculture in practice.

The Herculex® I, Roundup Ready® Corn 2 stack was developed from traditional breeding methods of two genetically modified corn lines (1507 maize and NK603 maize) and contains no new genetic modifications. Herculex® I and Roundup Ready® Corn 2 were approved by the EU for food, feed, import and processing in March 2006 and March 2005, respectively.