EU approves new GM soybean for food and feed use
While the GM soybean can now be imported, processed, and used in food and feed products across the EU, its cultivation remains prohibited
EUROPE – The European Commission (EC) has authorised a genetically modified (GM) soybean for use in food and animal feed across the European Union, following a favourable safety assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
The decision comes after EU member states failed to reach a qualified majority either supporting or opposing the approval. Under EU law, this impasse obligated the EC to act, prompting it to authorise the GM soybean’s importation and use, excluding cultivation within the bloc.
The green light follows EFSA’s rigorous scientific evaluation, which concluded that the GM soybean, identified as DBN9004, is as safe as its conventional and non-GM counterparts for human and animal consumption and poses no environmental risks.
“Soybean DBN9004 is as safe as its conventional counterpart and the tested non‐GM soybean varieties with respect to potential effects on human and animal health, and the environment,” EFSA’s GMO Panel concluded.
Developed by Beijing DaBeiNong Biotechnology Co. Ltd., DBN9004 has been genetically engineered to tolerate two commonly used herbicides.
EFSA found no significant differences in the plant’s composition, agronomic traits, or potential toxicity and allergenicity when compared with traditional soybeans. As a result, the authority recommended no additional post-market monitoring.
Strict regulations remain in place
While the GM soybean can now be imported, processed, and used in food and feed products across the EU, its cultivation remains prohibited.
Additionally, its use will be subject to the EU’s stringent labelling and traceability requirements, ensuring transparency throughout the supply chain. The authorisation is valid for a period of 10 years.
This move follows a similar decision by the EC in April this year, when it approved three GM corn varieties for the same restricted use, food and feed, but not cultivation. Like DBN9004, those approvals were issued after EFSA’s extensive safety reviews and in the absence of consensus among member states.
The EC’s recent authorisations highlight the delicate balance the bloc is trying to strike between scientific assessment and political gridlock on genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
While the EU remains cautious about domestic cultivation, it continues to allow the import and use of certain GM crops, provided they pass EFSA’s safety checks.
For now, EU consumers and livestock producers will have access to a new soybean protein source, with all safeguards in place, albeit grown outside European borders.
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