The safety of Bollgard II^® cotton has been established through many comprehensive studies, which were reviewed by national and international regulatory authorities. These studies demonstrate that the genetic enhancement to Bollgard II^® cotton has not changed the plants’ fundamental characteristics such as food, feed or environmental safety.

In demonstrating the equivalence of Bollgard II cotton with conventional cotton, more than 2,500 separate analyses were performed on 67 components of the cottonseed and oil. Bollgard II cotton was confirmed to be substantially equivalent to conventional cotton varieties. The testing program focused on efficacy, crop performance and safety with tests conducted in both laboratory and field environments, and tests to ensure the new product meets Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) requirements.

Plant breeders also evaluated agronomic traits such as the cotton plants’ seedling vigour, morphology, susceptibility to diseases, fibre characteristics and yield. Assessments have confirmed that the agronomic properties of Bollgard II cotton are comparable with their conventional counterparts, except for the introduced insect protection trait.

Scientists have studied the environmental impact of the introduced Bt proteins and found they do not accumulate in the soil or leach into ground water. The protein rapidly degrades in both its purified form and as part of the cotton plant tissue when incorporated into soil.

Another aspect of the environmental impact assessment is Monsanto’s continued monitoring of Bollgard II fields for insect susceptibility to the Bt protein. Insect resistance management (IRM) programs are in place and are required for use of the technology. Current testing has shown no increase in the level of resistance within field populations of Helicoverpa spp.