Cultivation of glyfosate tolerant soybean 40-3-2

The present application by Monstanto Europe S.A. of file EFSA/GMO/NL/2005/24, ‘Glyfosate-tolerant Soybean Transformation Event 40-3-2’ concerns the cultivation of a genetically modified soybean.
 The recombinant soybean line is genetically modified by insertion of the cp4 epsps gene. As a result, 40-3-2 soybean is tolerant to herbicides containing the active ingredient glyphosate. According to the applicant, the soybean line is already released in the United States of America, Brazil, Canada, Argentina, Uruguay, Romania, the Republic of South Africa, Paraguay and Bolivia.
In Europe, no wild relatives of soybean are present and modern soybean cultivars do not possess any of the attributes commonly associated with problematic weeds. Moreover, there is no reason to assume that the inserted genes would increase the potential of the soybean to run wild. Furthermore, establishment of feral populations in soybean producing countries has never been observed. In addition, soybean can not survive the climatological conditions in North-Western Europe. Survival and establishment of soybean volunteers in the wild has never been reported. The molecular analysis of the soybean line gives no reason to assume that toxic or allergic proteins are being formed as a result of the modification. Therefore, in COGEM’s view, cultivation of soybean 40-3-2 will not pose a risk to the environment in the Netherlands.
In addition, COGEM is of the opinion that some parts of the general surveillance plan as well as the performed tests on non-target organisms, can be improved.