Soybean shippers applaud U.S., Canada approvals of new Roundup seed

Soybean shippers applaud U.S., Canada approvals of new Roundup seed U.S. soybean shippers welcome the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to deregulate the second generation of Roundup Ready soybean called Roundup RReady2Yield, also known as MON 89788, which Monsanto expects to bring to the U.S. market in 2009.
   The Food and Drug Administration has already approved the RReady2Yield soybeans for human and animal consumption.
   Completion of the U.S. regulatory process is needed to obtain approvals in some export markets. The Canadian government recently granted full approval for the planting of this new soybean seed in Canada.
   “It is my understanding that Roundup RReady2Yield soybeans will offer a 7 to 11 percent yield advantage over first-generation Roundup Ready beans, while providing the same tolerance to the Roundup herbicides we are now using to manage weeds,” said John Hoffman, president of the St. Louis-based American Soybean Association, in a statement.
   “Higher soybean yields increase the ability of U.S. soybean growers to supply food, feed, and fuel markets domestically and around the globe,” he said.
   Soybeans account for about 70 percent of the world’s protein meal consumption, and 75 percent of the edible fats and oils consumed in the United States. About 91 percent of soybeans planted in the United States this year were grown from Roundup Ready varieties, the American Soybean Association said.