NCGA
Encouraged by European Commission Decision on Monsanto Corn
(7-21-04)
The European Commission
is on its way to approving the second corn event in six years. On
Monday, the body approved Monsanto’s NK603 corn, also known
as Roundup Ready 2, for feed and industrial use in the European
Union (EU). The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) welcomed
the news and looks forward to future action by the commission on
NK603 and other biotech products.
Despite this week’s
announcement, NK603 cannot be marketed until the commission approves
the application for food use. The European Council did not reach
a qualified majority in their meeting and a final decision on NK603
will likely be delayed until October or November of this year.
“While the European
regulatory system is beginning to move forward at a quicker pace,
we still have concerns regarding EU member states that are strongly
opposed to the technology,” said Helen Inman, chair of NCGA’s
Biotechnology Working Group. “This news is encouraging, but
we have a long way to go before the moratorium on biotech products
is effectively ended.”
The EU decision came
just a week after the Argentine government approved the NK603 event
for cultivation. Argentine corn growers will likely have access
to the technology next year. Experts expect the Argentine approval
to have an impact on global adoption in the near-term, since both
the United States and Argentina have permitted the corn event for
commercialization. The United States and Argentina are the two largest
exporters of corn, marketing a combined 2.3 billion bushels last
year.
Monsanto estimates Roundup
Ready corn seed was planted on 16 million acres in the United States
this year, up from 12 million acres last year. Globally, Monsanto’s
biotech crop acres grew to 172 million acres in 2004 from 150 million
acres the previous year.