The approvals are expected to most significantly impact sales of old-crop US corn gluten and dried distillers grain (DDG), the co-products derived from ethanol and sweetener production that are commonly used in livestock feed.

"Anything that will be produced in this year's harvest would not be approved," said Steve Daugherty, director of biotechnology affairs at Pioneer Hi-Bred International, a subsidiary of DuPont Co.

"The approvals in Europe are significantly lagging the approvals here and in much of the rest of the world," said Daugherty. "It is good news for us... but they (the EU) still have some significant issues."

Pioneer and the Dow AgroSciences unit Mycogen Seeds jointly developed two types of genetically altered corn that resist pests and weed-killer.

Those two corn types are among four genetically modified products the European Union is expected to authorize Oct. 24 for sale across its 27 national markets.

The approval stops short of allowing cultivation in Europe but would allow corn products containing the approved technology to be imported.

EU ministers were unable to reach a consensus on the applications so approvals are expected to kick in through a default system next week.

US corn exports to the European Union have been down significantly because of a lack of approval for emerging corn technology.

US corn gluten exports totaled only 2.4 million tonnes in 2006, down 17 percent from 2005 when exports totaled 2.9 million tonnes. In 2004, exports tallied 3.2 million tonnes, according to USDA.

"We are monitoring the situation closely and awaiting the pending approval," said Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Association. "The European Union is facing a significant shortage of feed products in the years moving forward and we hope that efforts will be undertaken to maintain access for corn gluten feed in that market."

The EU is also expected to authorize a GMO maize hybrid developed by US biotech company Monsanto that resists certain insects and glyphosate -- the active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup herbicide.

Approval is also expected for a sugar beet developed jointly by Monsanto and German plant breeding company KWS SAAT AG that resists herbicides containing glyphosate. It is designed for use in foods and feed such as sugar, syrup, dried pulp and molasses.

Biotechnology Industry Organization executive vice president Sharon Bomer said the EU action was lacking.