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Import and processing of herbicide tolerant soybean A2704-12

Advisory reports | 10.04.2006 | 060410-04

The present application by Bayer CropScience GmbH of file EFSA/GMO/NL/2005/18, ‘Glufosinate ammonium-tolerant Soybean Transformation Event A2704-12’ concerning the commercial import and processing for use in feed and food of a genetically modified soybean. Cultivation is not part of this application. The recombinant soybean line is genetically modified by insertion of the pat gene. As a result, A2704-12 soybean confers tolerance to herbicides containing the active ingredient glufosinate ammonium. The soybean line is already commercially grown in the United States of America and Canada. 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. There is no reason to assume that the inserted genes will increase the potential of the soybean to run wild. Furthermore, establishment of feral populations in soybean producing countries is never observed. Soybean can not survive the climatological conditions in North-West Europe. COGEM is of the opinion that, soybean volunteers can not survive and establish themselves in the wild. Therefore, COGEM is of the opinion that incidental spillage of the soybeans will pose no risk to the environment in the Netherlands nor in Europe. COGEM points out that there is a lack of information regarding the molecular analysis. In particular incomplete data are presented on the 5′ flanking sequence. On basis of the available data it can not be ruled out that new chimeric open reading frames were created due to the insertion. These putative open reading frames could give rise to potential toxic or allergenic products. In view of the deficiencies in the molecular analysis, COGEM advises negatively on this application.

In 2007, COGEM issued another advice on this soybean line, see CGM/070904-01.

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