Ag News for America
Monsanto says the drought tolerance trait in its Genuity DroughtGard corn hybrids has received final import approval from China.
With that approval, Monsanto says it will remove the grain stewardship requirements from the DroughtGard products that have been planted in 2013, meaning grain will no longer be required to remain in the domestic market.
In a statement, Monsanto says China’s approval of the trait represents “a significant step forward for technology approvals in China”.
Senate Ag Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow has pledged to keep the so-called Monsanto Protection Act — technically ‘The Farmer Assurance Provision’ — out of the farm bill.
The measure was included in the continuing budget resolution passed by Congress in March. It would allow farmers to continue to plant approved GMO seed that a court later decides needs to be further tested.
On the Senate floorthis week, Democrat Senator Jeff Merkeley of Oregon pushed for a vote on an amendment to repeal the rider…
“The current situation in Oregon of GMO wheat escaping a field test -resulting in several nations suspending the import of white wheat from the United States – underscores the fact that poorly regulated GMO cultivation can pose a significant threat to farmers who are not cultivating GMO crops.”
A vote on his amendment was blocked by Republicans. Merkley then implored Stabenow to keep the rider out of the farm bill.
She agreed to do so, “And, I share your concern that the Agriculture Committee and other appropriate committees didn’t have the opportunity to engage in this debate.”
Republican Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri said the provision protects farmers who have already purchased GMO seed and it allows what Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack testified that he already has the power to do… allow the seed to be planted.
The Senate could vote on the farm bill Monday today.
Monsanto Company says it is taking a science-based approach to its investigation of the finding of its RoundUp Ready wheat in an Oregon wheat field. Rob Fraley says while not yet provided with actual samples of the wheat finding by the USDA, which is doing its own investigation, Monsanto has done broader testing and finds no presence of the “CP4 event” in the commercial wheat supply.
Fraley tells reporters all of their evidence, thus far, points to a single occurrence. He says, “It seems likely to be a random, isolated occurrence more consistent with the accidental or purposeful mixing of a small amount of seed during the planting, harvesting, or, during the follow cycle in an individual field.”
When asked directly if they suspect sabotage could be involved, Fraley answered, “We’re considering all options at this point and that’s certainly one of the options that we’re looking at.”
Monsanto says they have provided the ONLY reliable test methodology to detect CP4 to the USDA and to the governments of Japan, Korea and Taiwan. He says they do not know if it is being used but respect the time the USDA’s APHIS researchers are taking for the investigation.
AUDIO: Monsanto officials conference call w/ reporters (40:00 mp3)
U.S. Wheat Associates commends the USDA’s Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS) for its quick response to a finding of GE wheat in Oregon. Steve Mercer, US Wheat’s vice president of communications, tells Brownfield they’re pleased an investigation is already underway.
“We know, basically, there was a trait discovered in a few plants. Beyond that, we don’t know how it got there and, you know, there’s no evidence to say that it’s gotten anywhere else. So, we need to take our ability to investigate that and APHIS is doing that,” Mercer says.
There is no biotech wheat approved for use or sale but there were trials by Monsanto of biotech spring wheat which was discontinued in 2005. Then, Mercer tells Brownfield Ag News, wheat growers were concerned that there was not support for deregulation in Canada, where part of the trials were taking place.
But, what about the future of biotech wheat? Mercer tells Brownfield, “We have to allow our farmers to look at this technology. And, there are a lot of good environmental reasons to look at it as well. Wheat, around the world, is losing in terms of planted area to other crops.”
Mercer says the demand for high quality wheat all over the world is growing rapidly. There are public and private trials for drought resistance, nitrogen use and other traits in wheat going on around the world.
Meanwhile, Monsanto has issued a statement saying it carefully closed out its commercial wheat development program nine years ago and this is the first report of the Roundup Ready trait being found “out of place.”
It adds that the U.S. FDA “confirmed the food and feed safety of Roundup Ready wheat more than a decade ago.”
Monsanto says it is conducting a rigorous investigation to determine the scope of this recent finding.
AUDIO: Steve Mercer (13:00 mp3)
The USDA says unapproved GE wheat has been found in an Oregon field and they’ve launched an investigation.
US Wheat Associates and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) say they were notified today that the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed a genetically-modified, glyphosate-resistant wheat variety that Monsanto field-tested more than eight years ago present “in volunteer wheat on one Oregon farm.”
Monsanto did research testing on Roundup Ready spring wheat from 1998 through 2005, but withdrew its application for deregulation of that trait.
The USDA has NOT authorized the sale of RoundUp Ready glyphosate resistant wheat – or any other genetically modified wheat – anywhere.
Although not commercialized, the wheat groups say the FDA found that the RoundUp Ready trait in wheat posed no health risks in food or animal feed.
U.S. Wheat Associates and NAWG say they’re monitoring the investigation and appreciate their customers standing by them.
The USDA says it’s going to extend its reviews of new herbicide-resistant Genetically Engineered (GE) crops from both Dow AgroSciences and Monsanto which are seeking deregulation of those products. Dow says today’s announced decision by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will delay getting its Enlist products to farmers into 2015. APHIS announced it will prepare two separate environmental impact statements (EIS) for crops genetically engineered to be resistant to 2,4-D and Dicamba.
Dow’s Enlist Weed Control system for corn and soybeans and Monsanto’s double herbicide-resistant cotton and soybeans are subject to the additional reviews.
In response, Dow says by the USDA’s own admission, these herbicides have been “safely and widely used” for decades. A Dow statement further says that adverse trends of glyphosate-resistance and hard to control weeds will continue without its state-of-the-art Enlist system. The company says it will keep working with USDA/APHIS to get those technologies approved to give farmers more crop planting options.
Under federal law, APHIS says it is required “to evaluate the potential environmental impacts that could result from a deregulation of new GE plants by the Agency.”
Earlier this week Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences reached new cross-licensing agreements in the next generation of advanced weed and insect control.
Ben Kaehler, US seed general manager for Dow details the agreements. “Monsanto will become the first corn licensee of our Enlist weed control system,” he says. “The second announcement is that Dow AgroSciences will take license to Monsanto’s new corn rootworm trait called Corn Rootworm III and that will be added to our current SmartStax platform in the future.”
Pending regulatory approval, Kaehler says the latter agreement paves the way for the introduction of next generation of SmartStax products.
He tells Brownfield these agreements encompass platforms for growers to use today, tomorrow and in the future. “Today, growers can plant SmartStax products from a number of companies,” he says. “We expect in 2014 we will be able to use SmartStax and have it stacked with Enlist – giving growers the 2-4D tolerance. By the end of the decade, we anticipate having the next generation of SmartStax, which would contain the new Corn Rootworm III trait as well as being stacked with Enlist.”
Which Kaehler says will provide growers with both insect protection and a broad spectrum of herbicide options.
A provision in the Ag Appropriations bill that favors Monsanto and other GMO seed-makers has caused an uproar among GMO critics. Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, who got that provision included, defends it, saying it will protect farm families. The provision was part of the continuing resolution signed by President Obama last month to fund the government.
In two past cases, farmers were stopped from producing crops approved by the USDA, Monsanto’s Round Up Ready Alfalfa and Sugar Beets, that they’d already planted because of federal court decisions. Lawsuits led federal judges to halt the sale and harvest of those crops for further study…
“In both cases, higher federal courts eventually reversed the decision by the federal judge saying in fact, well, hey, USDA was right. It was legal to plant it. You should have been able to sell it. But by then, of course, those farm families had lost that years’ income.
Blunt says there was no recourse for those farmers, “You couldn’t sue USDA. You couldn’t sue Pioneer Seed, or Monsanto, or anybody else. So, all the loss was on the part of farm families. That’s why the Soybean Association, the Corn Growers Association, the Farm Bureau all believe that that’s a provision that you need to protect farm families.”
Blunt says this provision will protect farmers in the future amid pending litigation against seed companies.
“We all know enough about farming in Missouri to know that once you’ve dedicated your crop for that year that you can’t go back and undo that decision. And, if you made it based on what the government told you that you should be able to do, you should be able to follow through with that decision.”
Some critics of the measure say it’s a back room deal that gives Monsanto and other GMO seed companies the power to demand deregulation of GMO crops.
AUDIO: Senator Roy Blunt (2:00 mp3)
~Audio compliments of Missourinet~
Monsanto and DuPont say they have reached a deal to dismiss patent lawsuits against one another.
At the same time, the two seed giants have announced a series of multi-million dollar licensing agreements which they say will expand the range of seed products they can offer farmers.
According to a Reuters report, the deal tosses out a one-billion dollar verdict that DuPont owed Monsanto. Instead, it calls for DuPont to make at least 1.75 billion dollars in royalty payments over several years in return for a multi-year license for Monsanto’s next-generation soybean technologies in the U.S. and Canada.
That means DuPont Pioneer will be able to offer Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans as early as 2014, and Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Xtend glyphosate and dicamba tolerant soybeans as early as 2015, pending regulatory approvals.
According to a DuPont news release, DuPont Pioneer also will receive regulatory data rights for the soybean and corn traits previously licensed from Monsanto, enabling it to create an array of stacked trait combinations using traits or genetics from DuPont Pioneer or others. Monsanto will receive access to certain DuPont Pioneer disease resistance and corn defoliation patents.
Monsanto has agreed to waive two years of technology fees on its first-generation Roundup Ready soybeans for Brazilian farmers.
In a statement released by Monsanto today, growers who agree to waive all potential legal claims for payments previously made for Roundup Ready products will be released from paying the tech fee for this and next growing season. Farmers who elect not to participate will continue to pay royalties on the technology.
Rodrigo Santos, Monsanto Brazil president says, “The agreement reflects the support of key grower associations and provides a mechanism to allow all parties to focus on the long-term solutions that will support the Brazilian agriculture industry and its growing demands.”
According to Monsanto, the agreement is an important step towards the commercial introduction of next-generation products.
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