Dow Chemical Enlist Weed Killer Approved for GMO Crops

Post date: Oct 16, 2014 8:21:56 AM

Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) won U.S. approval for its Enlist Duo weed killer, clearing the way for sales of corn and soybeans genetically engineered to tolerate the herbicide.

Enlist Duo can be used in six states with approval pending in another 10, the Environmental Protection Agency said today in a statement. Midland, Michigan-based Dow, the largest U.S. chemical maker by sales, will announce its marketing plan for the Enlist weed control system, which includes an herbicide and crops designed to survive it, “in the coming weeks.”

Dow Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Andrew Liveris is counting on Enlist Duo to help double earnings at Dow AgroSciences in five to seven years. Enlist was created to compete with Monsanto Co. (MON)’s popular Roundup Ready system, which kills weeds using glyphosate while leaving crops unscathed.

“Crossing this final milestone represents a pivotal achievement for Dow,” Liveris said in a statement today. Enlist Duo “is expected to deliver significant growth for Dow,” he said.

Enlist Duo is a combination of the herbicides 2,4-D and glyphosate. Today’s approval will increase use of 2,4-D by two-to sevenfold, reaching as much as 176 million pounds in 2020, the Center for Food Safety said today in an e-mailed statement, citing U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates. Enlist Duo will create “still more intractable weeds” that survive both glyphosate and 2,4-D, according to the group which favors curbs on genetically engineered crops.