Engineered Crops Poised For Approval

Soybeans and cotton that have been genetically modified by Monsanto to resist several herbicides including dicamba (3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid) are unlikely to pose a risk to other plants in the U.S., concludes an environmental impact statement by USDA. The crops are expected to get approval from USDA after a public comment period, which ends Jan. 12, 2015. EPA is reviewing the safety of Monsanto’s herbicide formulations that are intended to be used on the crops, and a decision from the agency is expected in the coming months. Monsanto is hoping to begin selling the cottonseeds next year and the soybeans in 2016. Advocacy groups are concerned that approval of the crops will lead to increased use of dicamba and to “superweeds” that are resistant to multiple herbicides.