GM Soybean MON 94637: Safety Concerns Block Approval

What is being discussed

• GM soybean MON 94637 is a genetically modified soybean that produces two new Bt proteins (Cry1A.2 and Cry1B.2) to protect against moth and butterfly pests.
• The European Commission is preparing a decision that would allow this soybean, and any food or feed made from it, to be sold in the EU.

Parliament’s concerns

• Safety assessment

• EFSA gave a favourable opinion in July 2025, but the Parliament notes:

• The new Bt proteins are much more potent than earlier versions, raising new safety questions.

• The company’s scientific review had methodological problems and omitted some studies.

• Genetic changes were not fully mapped with modern sequencing, so unintended DNA changes may exist.

• Gene‑expression tests were performed only in one field, one year, and one country.

• Toxicity tests mainly used Bt proteins produced in bacteria, not the plant‑produced proteins.

• Some significant findings in 28‑ and 90‑day animal studies were not followed up.

• Possible interactions between the two Bt proteins, plant chemicals, or other stressors were not studied.

• The environmental risk assessment did not fully consider accidental releases or effects on non‑target organisms.

• Democratic process

• The Commission should not approve GMOs unless a qualified majority of Member States in the relevant committees supports it.

• Both committees (Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed and the Appeal Committee) voted no opinion, meaning no majority support.

• One Health approach

• Safety must consider long‑term health of humans, animals, plants, and the environment together. The current assessment does not meet this holistic view.

• International commitments

• Authorising a GM crop tolerant to a herbicide (glufosinate) banned in the EU would conflict with the EU’s commitments under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the Sustainable Development Goals, and would give an unfair advantage to companies that can use that herbicide.

Parliament’s requests to the Commission

1. Withdraw the draft decision that would allow the GM soybean to be sold.
2. Do not authorise the soybean until there is clear, long‑term evidence that it is safe for biodiversity, food safety, farmers’ livelihoods, and animal health.
3. Reform the GMO decision‑making process to reflect Parliament’s objections and the lack of qualified‑majority support from Member States.
4. Submit a new legislative proposal that addresses these democratic and safety concerns.
5. Inform the Council, the Commission, and all Member State governments and parliaments about this resolution.

Implications for consumers and farmers

• The EU Parliament is not ready to allow this GM soybean on the market because the safety evidence is incomplete and the approval process lacks democratic backing.
• Until the Commission revises its decision and provides stronger safety data, the soybean will not be sold in the EU.
• The Parliament’s stance reflects a broader concern that GM crops should be thoroughly tested, transparently approved, and consistent with EU environmental and international commitments.

Broader context

The EU has long had strict rules on genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Any GM food or feed must go through a scientific review by EFSA (the EU's food safety agency) before it can be sold. Even with a positive EFSA opinion, the European Commission still needs political backing from EU member states — and the Parliament can object, as it has done here.

Bt proteins (like the ones in this soybean) are toxins that naturally occur in a soil bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis. Scientists copy the genes that make these toxins into crop plants so the plants can kill pest insects on their own, reducing the need for insecticide sprays. This technology has been used in farming for decades, but the proteins in MON 94637 are described as significantly more potent than older versions.

The soybean is also engineered to survive glufosinate, an herbicide that the EU itself has banned for use by farmers within its borders — because it is harmful to biodiversity and potentially to human health. Approving a crop resistant to a chemical EU farmers cannot legally use would mainly benefit farmers in countries like Brazil, Argentina, and the USA, where this herbicide is still permitted and where most soybeans imported into the EU are grown.

Impact on people living in the EU

For most EU residents, the immediate practical effect is straightforward: this GM soybean will not appear in EU food or animal feed while the Parliament's objection stands.

However, a few broader points are worth knowing:

Impact on people outside the EU

For farmers in Brazil, Argentina, and the United States — the world's biggest soybean exporters — EU rejection matters commercially. The EU is a major buyer of soy for animal feed. If a GM variety is not approved for import into the EU, farmers who grow it risk having shipments rejected at European ports, which discourages planting that variety. This gives EU regulatory decisions a real influence on farming choices in countries thousands of kilometres away.