Canada approved Monsanto's new TruFlex Roundup Ready canola

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Health Canada have granted full food, feed and environmental safety approval for Monsanto's next generation Roundup Ready(R) canola trait, paving the way for what Monsanto anticipates will be a commercial preview launch to farmers in 2014.

CFIA's Plant Biosafety Office and Animal Feed Division granted its approval June 8, 2012, while the food approval from Health Canada was completed June 18, 2012.

The new canola trait will be marketed under the brand name TruFlex Roundup Ready(TM) canola and is Monsanto's latest Genuity(R) canola trait.

"This is excellent news for farmers and is yet another example of how Monsanto's strong technology pipeline is bringing new solutions to Canadian farmers, helping them tackle those tough issues they face on the farm," said Jesse Hamonic, canola trait marketing lead with Monsanto Canada based in Winnipeg.

Two key farmer benefits of TruFlex Roundup Ready(TM) canola are enhanced weed control and increased flexibility. Farmers will have a wider window of application and greater flexibility to utilize a higher rate of Roundup(R) brand herbicides to provide more effective control of perennial weeds and tough-to-control annual weeds in their canola fields to maximize yield potential.

"Dandelions and foxtail barley are two great examples of weeds that can be controlled with the TruFlex Roundup Ready(TM) canola system," said David Kelner, canola technical lead for Western Canada. "With increased crop tolerance, farmers will have the flexibility to use the rate they need for tough-to-control weeds and the wider application window will allow them to deal with poor weather conditions that prevent spraying, without risk of crop injury due to late application. Together, these features will help farmers realize the full yield potential of their canola crop."

Additional regulatory submissions have been made in key production and import countries and Monsanto continues to test trait performance in broadly-adapted germplasm. While additional export country approvals are required prior to commercial launch, Monsanto Canada continues to work closely with the Canola Council of Canada (CCC) to keep them informed of global regulatory approvals and commercial launch plans.