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News Release
ALL MYCOGEN SEED HYBRIDS APPROVED FOR IMPORTATION INTO THE EUROPEAN UNION
4/11/1999
New Page 1
EAGAN, Minn. – Farmers planting Bt corn from Mycogen Seeds this spring can
rest assured their genetically modified corn crop will be marketable in the European
Union.
Dow AgroSciences Government and Regulatory Affairs Leader, Joe Panetta, says
Mycogen’s Event 176-type Bt corn hybrids, marketed under the NatureGard� brand name,
have been approved in European markets since December 1996.
According to a recent seed industry letter delivered to the National Grain and Feed
Association, several varieties of Bt corn, as well as Roundup Ready corn, are not yet
approved for import into the EU. Subsequently, last week, A.E. Staley Manufacturing Co.
and Archer Daniels Midlands Co. (ADM), Decatur, Ill., both announced they will not accept
genetically modified corn not yet approved in the EU.
The letter clearly points out, however, that Mycogen’s Bt 176 event is not subject
to any marketing restrictions.
Event 176 hybrids contain the Cry1A(b) protein, expressed in green tissue and pollen,
and provide excellent control of first generation corn borer, and good control of the
second generation.
"Event 176 was the first event to be registered in the EU," Panneta says.
"Therefore, every Bt corn product Mycogen Seeds offers is acceptable."
According to Tim Glenn, corn product manager for Mycogen Seeds, "All Mycogen
products are approved for use in Europe and we have sufficient quantities for
farmers’ needs."
Glenn encourages farmers to work with their seed company sales representative to
determine the viability of their products in certain markets.
"Growers can eliminate concerns over the marketability of their corn crop by
asking certain questions up front," he says. "They need to understand that not
every seed technology is accepted into all end-use channels. And, more importantly, they
must find out if the seed they are purchasing is acceptable in all markets."
Because many farmers are preparing for the planting season, asking questions about
end-use viability becomes even more critical, Glenn says.
"Even at this late stage in the game, growers may be able to trade their seed for
varieties accepted in the EU," he says.
Mycogen Seeds, based in Eagan, Minnesota, is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow
Chemical Company. Mycogen markets grain corn, silage corn and nutritionally enhanced corn
seed, as well as sunflower, canola, soybean, alfalfa and sorghum seed through a
distribution system of sales representatives, distributors and retail outlets in the
Cornbelt, the eastern United States and in major dairy areas throughout the country.
Mycogen Seeds is an acknowledged leader in bringing to market technology-based products to
control agricultural pests and improve food and fiber production. For more information on
Mycogen, go to www.mycogen.com on the Internet.
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