Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
February 22, 2012
Dow AgroSciences is confident in the high quality of the science supporting our Enlist™ Weed Control System, and we continue to anticipate timely approvals. Extensions in public comment periods are not uncommon, and the USDA’s recent comment period extension gives supporters of our new technology additional time to submit their comments.
U.S. farmers need Enlist corn to sustain current herbicide-tolerant cropping systems that are effectively reducing erosion and agricultural runoff. Without new technology like Enlist corn to support these systems, farmers will need to resort to increased tillage (creating additional erosion and soil compaction) and greater dependence on fossil fuels (adding to air pollution).
As a highly trusted and researched molecule, 2,4-D has been reinvented and improved as a new product in the Enlist system. The herbicide 2,4-D is authorized for use in more than 70 nations worldwide, among them the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan and Australia. In the U.S., in order for 2,4-D to be authorized for use on food crops at all (which it is), the uses must, by law, be found, based on the best available science, to pose “a reasonable certainty of no harm.” EPA’s 2005 decision to maintain 2,4-D registrations in this country was made only after years of review and opportunities for public comment, and the rationale for that decision is available for public review on the Agency’s Web site.
At a time when global agricultural output is barely keeping pace with world population growth, we cannot afford to throttle back the introduction of new crop production technology. We continue to look forward to meeting the pressing needs of U.S. growers through sustainable contributions to modern herbicide-tolerant cropping systems needed to maintain productivity and protect their farmland against erosion.
™Enlist is a trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC. Components of the Enlist Weed Control System have not yet received regulatory approvals; approvals are pending.
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