AFBF Promotes Support of New Herbicide-Tolerant Corn

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) encouraged the Agriculture Department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to grant non-regulated status to a new variety of herbicide-tolerant corn. According to AFBF, the approval of the DAS-40278-9, the regulatory name of the genetically engineered (GE) corn variety, will offer farmers an alternative to eliminate persistent weeds and respond to potential  herbicide resistance.

AFBF also mentioned in their letter to Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack that APHIS has done an excellent job in completing comprehensive plant and environmental assessments that show DAS-40278-9 as "unlikely to pose a plant pest risk".

This new corn variety is tolerant to the herbicide 2,4-D which has been used in the U.S. for 60 years to control weeds in crops. AFBF notes that in order to maintain the country's international competitiveness and also to achieve productivity that would meet the needs of the 21^st century, the agricultural sector of the U.S. must remain on the cutting edge of technology.

For more information about this new technology go to http://www.fb.org/index.php?action=newsroom.news&year=2012&file=nr0427.html.