Enlist, Enlist Duo ready by 2013 | 2,4-D resistant corn and 2,4-D choline formula get regulatory nods amid health concerns
Canada’s early approval of a controversial new herbicide tolerant trait is drawing fire from critics.
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have granted regulatory approval to corn and soybean crops tolerant to Dow AgroSciences’ 2,4-D herbicide.
A number of health organizations and environmental groups denounced the approval of Dow’s Enlist trait, claiming it will lead to increased use of a dangerous chemical.
“Our environment, food and population will be increasingly exposed to another hazardous product,” Warren Bell of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment said in a joint new release.
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Meg Sears of Prevent Cancer Now said epidemiological research shows 2,4-D is an endocrine disrupter that causes elevated risks of cancers, particularly non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Daniel Kittle, global leader for research and development for Dow, said in a news release, “Farmers around the world have an urgent need to address weed control challenges and this first cultivation approval enables delivery of one of the most advanced solutions.”
The Enlist trait will first be commercialized in corn once the company receives regulatory approval for its Enlist Duo herbicide from the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, which is anticipated late in the first quarter of 2013.
Enlist Duo is a blend of glyphosate and Dow’s reformulated 2,4-D chemical. The new 2,4-D choline formulation is said to reduce drift, ensure the active ingredient stays where it is applied and decrease the odour associated with 2,4-D.
Lucy Sharratt of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network said the Enlist trait is a declaration of failure by the biotechnology industry.
“Existing GM herbicide tolerant crops are failing because weeds are becoming resistant,” she said.
The Industry Task Force II on 2,4-D Research Data said the chemical has undergone extensive review by regulatory agencies around the world, which have concluded the herbicide poses no harm to human health or the environment when used according to the label instructions.
“For 65 years, Canadian farmers have depended on 2,4-D to control weeds in a safe and effective manner,” said Jim Gray, executive director of the task force.
“Their trust has been bolstered by the rigorous scientific reviews of Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency and other regulators around the world.”
Jeff Loessin, Dow’s portfolio marketing leader for the Enlist trait in Canada, said the trait will help growers deal with hard-to-control weeds such as lamb’s quarters, velvetleaf and red root pigweed.
It will also enable them to control glyphosate resistant weeds like Canada fleabane, giant ragweed, common ragweed and kochia.
“Obviously 2,4-D would be doing the heavy lifting on those,” he said.
Corn is already tolerant to 2,4-D up to the six inch stage of development. The Enlist trait allows growers to spray plants up to 48 inches in height, giving producers greater flexibility in applying the chemical.
Dow is planning a limited commercial launch of Enlist corn in Eastern Canada in 2013. The product will be field tested in Manitoba next year but there are no plans to commercialize the trait in Western Canada until it can be bred into earlier maturing varieties.
The commercialization of Enlist soybeans is being held up by regulatory approval in China. Corn is mostly sold in North America, while many soybeans are shipped to China, which refuses to start its regulatory review until a trait has been approved in a country where it will be cultivated.
Loessin expects there will be a good fit for the trait in Manitoba’s burgeoning soybean industry. Not only will it enable farmers to tackle hard-to-control weeds like buckwheat, lamb’s quarters and pigweed, but it will also provide them with a tool for controlling volunteer canola.
The trait will first have to be bred into soybean lines containing the proper heat units for that region.
There are no plans to incorporate the Enlist trait into canola varieties because 2,4-D is an effective way to control canola volunteers and many of Dow’s herbicides contain the chemical.
Loessin said Dow has spent a lot of time developing a stewardship program to accompany the launch of the trait. It includes advice on minimizing drift and encourages farmers to use multiple modes of action to prevent the development of resistant weeds.
