EPA extends Bt corn license

The U.S. EPA announced on Tuesday that it has extended for 7 years the approval of Bt corn and put in place additional requirements for using the product. According to EPA, "scientific studies and a history of successful use have demonstrated that Bt is not toxic to humans or other animals." The agency's new provisions include strengthening insect resistance management, improving grower awareness and stewardship and increasing research on potential environmental effects. In addition, companies holding Bt corn licenses must now collect signatures from growers they contract with prior to distributing seed and be able to provide the signed contracts to EPA. Bt corn is marketed by Monsanto (MON), Syngenta, DuPont (DD) and Dow (DOW). ...