U.S. Regulatory Authorities Move Toward Approving Dow’s Enlist
7 August 2014 USDA issued its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on Dow AgroSciences’ Enlist corn and soybeans on Thursday.
The only remaining action before regulatory approval of the Enlist traits is USDA issuance of a Record of Decision, which is expected in the near future, Dow said.
USDA produced an extensive FEIS document with a well-supported environmental evaluation, stating that USDA’s preferred alternative is to deregulate the Enlist corn and soybean traits.
The FEIS indicates that Enlist crops will help farmers manage resistant weeds without having to return to aggressive tillage practices, which would adversely impact soil, air and water quality.
“This has been one of the most extensive evaluations of a new agriculture technology in recent history,” says John Cuffe, global regulatory sciences and regulatory affairs leader, Dow AgroSciences. “USDA has produced a thorough, modern assessment. Now we are eagerly anticipating final regulatory approvals from USDA and EPA so farmers can get the help they need.”
Farmers across the Midwest and Southern U.S. have been grappling with resistant and tough weeds for multiple seasons. Resistant weeds now affect 70 million acres of American farmland.
The problem has grown so severe in some states that stakeholders have sought stop-gap alternatives. The Texas State Department of Agriculture, for example, petitioned the U.S. EPA for emergency access to a previously approved herbicide to prevent and manage resistant pigweeds.
Regulatory authorities outside the U.S. have already approved components of the Enlist system, including Canada, Australia, Japan, Colombia, Taiwan, Mexico and others.
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