USDA approves use of GM corn and soybean seeds

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved the use of genetically modified corn and soybean seeds that are resistant to Enlist, a popular weed killer.

The seeds will be available to farmers only after the environmental protection agency (EPA) issues a second ruling allowing the use of the 2,4-D weed killer.

The EPA will make a decision later this year on the Dow AgroSciences’ application to market the chemical.

Many of the weeds have become resistant to glyphosate, an herbicide commonly used on corn and soybeans. Herbicide-resistant seeds enable farmers to spray their crops, which would kill the weeds and not the plants.

Critics have raised concerns about the effect of 2,4-D on public health. They have said that there is a need to carry out more studies on the chemical. The USDA is expecting an estimated increase of 200% to 600% in the use of the chemical by the year 2020, once the seeds and the herbicide receive approvals.

The herbicide is also suspicious in the eyes of groups lobbying against its use because they feel it has a potential to drift. If approved, the new version of the herbicide will be used in combination with glyphosate.

However, Dow AgroSciences has said that the new version has been reworked to solve potential problems such as drift before and after the herbicide hits the plant.

While it is the responsibility of the USDA to oversee the safety of plants, the EPA looks after the safety of the herbicide for human and environmental health.

Dow AgroSciences president Tim Hassinger was quoted by the Associated Press as saying: "We’ve used the latest science and technology to address problem weeds. Enlist will be a very effective solution, and we are pleased to have this technology one step closer to the farm gate."

2,4-D is now used on crops like wheat and on pastures and home lawns. It is considered to be the world’s most popular herbicide and the third most popular in the US after atrazine and glyphosate.

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Image: The USDA has given permission for the use of GM corn and soybean seeds. Photo: courtesy of Stoonn / freedigitalphotos.net.