Monsanto clears Japanese regulatory hurdle for new corn variety
03 Aug 2009
Monsanto Company and Dow AgroSciences LLC have received regulatory approval from Japan for commercial launch of their new corn variety 'SmartStax, by 2010,' the two companies said in a joint press release.
The new seed-trait combination will "provide US and Canadian corn farmers the most comprehensive weed and insect control and allow them to significantly reduce their structured refuge requirement," the release said.
The companies said the food, feed and environmental safety of `SmartStax' corn were reviewed and approved by the Japanese government agencies following approvals by US and Canadian regulators on 20 July.
"With these approvals, SmartStax can be produced and planted in the United States and Canada and grain can be imported to Australia, New Zealand and Japan," the release said.
"The breakthrough of SmartStax is the field performance achieved by combining these already established and globally approved traits," said Jerry Hjelle, Monsanto vice president of regulatory affairs.
"As the world's leading corn importing country, Japanese approval is a significant milestone to ensure full market access to food and feed derived from SmartStax that will help US and Canadian corn farmers to experience the benefits of the agriculture industry's most advanced, all-in-one corn trait platform, " Hjelle added.