Bayer and Syngenta’s co-developed soybean herbicide tolerance trait, SYHT0H2, has gained a positive safety assessment opinion form the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The assessment, undertaken by the GMO Panel, concluded that SYHT0H2 soybeans are as safe as and nutritionally equivalent to its conventional counterpart and the tested non‐GM soybean reference varieties, and no post‐market monitoring of food/feed is considered necessary.

The trait, commonly known as MGI, contains the avhppd-03 and pat genes to provide tolerance to the herbicides mesotrione, glufosinate and isoxaflutole. The ownership of the trait was transferred to BASF as part of Bayer’s required divestments in order to facilitate the acquisition of Monsanto (see AgbioNews Oct 13, 2017).