LibertyLink^® Soybeans receive European Union approval

Growers can expect high-yielding LibertyLink varieties from Stine for 2009 season

LibertyLink soybeans have cleared an important regulatory hurdle by receiving final approval from the European Commission for importation into the European Union for food and feed use. The commercial launch of LibertyLink soybeans in the U.S. is planned for the 2009 season.                                              

The approval marks the achievement of one more essential milestone on the path toward commercialization of LibertyLink soybeans which will become the first new nonselective seed-herbicide system to enter the soybean marketplace in more than a decade. LibertyLink soybeans are fully approved for food, feed and cultivation in the U.S. and Canada. Further import approvals have been granted for Australia, China Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa and Taiwan.

“LibertyLink soybeans will provide soybean growers with a new and powerful in-crop weed control option with no yield lag or drag,” says David Thompson, National Sales and Marketing Director at Stine Seed Company.  “Bottom line, this is a great trait packaged in outstanding genetics delivered by Stine Seed Company, and we are very excited to be offering one of the industry’s best selections of LibertyLink soybeans for 2009.”

Stine Seed Company, headquartered near Adel, Iowa, is an industry-leading seed company focused on developing and marketing the world's best performing corn and soybean seed. For more than four decades, Stine’s soybean research program has been regarded as the soybean genetics supplier of choice to the seed industry.

“We are pleased with this outcome, and that the European Commission followed the scientific advice of the European Food Safety Authority by granting approval for LibertyLink soybeans in a timely manner,” said Andy Hurst, Product Manager Herbicide Tolerant Traits at Bayer CropScience, LP. “At this time seed production looks very good and we are well on track to achieving our market introduction in 2009.”

Hurst says the Liberty/LibertyLink system will enable growers to maintain all the current benefits of glyphosate use, such as less tillage, labor and equipment, as well as the ease, convenience and efficacy of over-the-top, non-selective weed control. Liberty® and Ignite™ herbicides also have the added benefit of being a highly effective management tool for glyphosate-resistant or tolerant weeds.

“This technology gives growers another choice on how to manage their acres the way they want to, both now and in the future,” Hurst says. “In addition, they can count on achieving high yields along with outstanding weed control. It’s a winning combination.”

For more information about Stine LibertyLink soybeans, contact Stine Seed Company at 1-800-362-2510 or online at www.stineseed.com.