The European Commission Monday approved imports of a genetically modified variety of soybean developed by Bayer AG, a move that may help prevent European animal feed shortages in the coming years. Without the approval, E.U. farmers would be effectively blocked from importing soybeans from the U.S., where millions of acres of the new crop, known under the code A2704-12, are expected to be planted next year. Importers would be unlikely to ship soybeans - a crucial source of protein in animal feed - from the U.S. for fear that their cargoes would be contaminated with the biotech soybean.