The European Commission has authorized XtendFlex soybean technology for food, feed, import and processing into the European Union, marking the final major approval hurdle to the genetically modified stacked traits.
As a result, Bayer plans a full launch in the United States and Canada in 2021 and expects to be in a strong position to supply 20 million U.S. soy acres when the selling season arrives, according to a news release.
“XtendFlex soybeans will be Bayer’s second major product launch in soybeans in the last five years,” said Lisa Safarian, president of Crop Science North America. “The upcoming launch in 2021 highlights the strength of the Bayer soybean pipeline, as well as the investment that Bayer continues to make in our soybean portfolio and the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System. XtendFlex soybeans are the latest example of Bayer developing innovative products to help farmers meet challenges on their farm.”
XtendFlex soybeans are built upon Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybean technology with the additional tolerance to glufosinate herbicides.
“Based on that demand, we’ve developed a supply plan to meet the market demand in 2021, across all maturities, Bayer brands and licensees,” Lisa Streck, Bayer soybean launch lead, said in the release. “We expect the launch of XtendFlex to match the launch scale of Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans, which were planted on 20 million acres in their first year of commercial availability. This technology offers outstanding yield potential and weed control flexibility that will benefit soybean farmers across the U.S.”