Australia
August 25, 2014
NOTIFICATION OF APPLICATION
Receipt of licence application (DIR 131) from CSIRO for field trial of GM safflower
Application
The Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) has received a licence application from CSIRO for the intentional release of genetically modified (GM) safflower into the environment (DIR 131), which qualifies as a limited and controlled release under section 50A of the Gene Technology Act 2000 (the Act).
CSIRO is seeking approval to conduct field trials of safflower genetically modified for increased levels of oleic acid in seeds in order to evaluate the agronomic performance of the GM safflower under field conditions across Australia and to provide enough oil for product testing. The trial is proposed to take place between January 2015 and August 2019 at 45 sites across Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Western Australia. The total cumulative planting area will be 850 hectares over the 4 years. The applicant has proposed a number of control measures to restrict the spread and persistence of the GM plants and their introduced genetic material. The GM safflower will not be used for human food or animal feed.
Purpose of this notification
This notification provides early information about the above application and the assessment process, including a forthcoming opportunity to comment. Advice about this application is not being sought at this stage of the assessment process. A comprehensive Risk Assessment and Risk Management Plan for the application is currently being prepared. This is expected to be released for public comment and advice from a broad range of experts, agencies and authorities in November 2014.
In the interim, you can obtain a copy of the application by contacting my Office (contact details below; please quote the reference number DIR 131). As the application is quite lengthy, you may prefer to view a summary of the application, which is posted on our website along with this document (under ‘What’s New’).
If you have any questions or would like to receive a hard copy of the application summary, please contact the OGTR using the details below.
The Office of the Gene Technology Regulator,
MDP 54, GPO Box 9848, Canberra, ACT, 2601
Telephone: 1800 181 030 Facsimile: 02 6271 4202 E-mail: ogtr@health.gov.au
OGTR Website
DIR 131 - Notification of Licence Application: Limited and controlled release of safflower genetically modified for high oleic acid composition
DIR 131 – Licence Application Summary (PDF 66 KB)
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