Genetically modified (GM) crops enable growers to manage weeds more effectively while sustainably increasing crop productivity to grow more food on less land. Some GM soybeans express CP4 EPSPS, a protein which allows the crop to be tolerant to the herbicide glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup^® Brand Herbicides). Herbicide tolerant (HT) crops allow farmers to safely control weeds by spraying herbicides on a crop, according to label directions, without killing the crop. 

Before GM crops are sold to farmers, a robust safety assessment is conducted to ensure that they are safe for humans, animals and the environment. A large-scale study was conducted to evaluate CP4ESPS protein expression in GM HT soybean leaves, forage, seed and root tissue across several years and 74 different environments in Argentina, Brazil and the U.S. Similarly, to native proteins, the results show that CP4 ESPS protein expression varied in the samples depending on what region and/or year they were harvested. The study concluded that even if CP4 ESPS expression is variable, the GM soybeans are tolerant to glyphosate, and are as safe as non-GM soybeans. The full journal article can be accessed here: https://bit.ly/2VvGn4f