Australia
November 17, 2011

DIR 114 - Notification of licence application - Limited and controlled release of canola genetically modified for herbicide tolerance - posted 17 November 2011 (PDF 128 KB)

NOTIFICATION OF APPLICATION

Receipt of licence application from Pioneer for dealings involving intentional release of genetically modified (GM) canola (DIR 114)

Application

The Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) has received a licence application from Pioneer Hi-Bred Australia Pty Ltd (Pioneer) for the intentional release of genetically modified (GM) canola into the environment (application DIR 114), which qualifies as limited and controlled release under section 50A of the Gene Technology Act 2000 (the Act).

Pioneer is seeking approval to conduct a field trial of canola genetically modified for herbicide tolerance. The purpose of the proposed trial is to evaluate the agronomic performance of the GMO under field conditions in both current and potential commercial canola growing areas of Australia. It is proposed to take place between May 2012 and February 2016 on up to 8 sites for the first year and up to 20 sites in subsequent years, on a maximum of 4 hectares (ha) per site for each of the first two years and up to 10 ha per site in subsequent years. Sites are to be selected from 127 possible local government areas (LGAs) in Victoria, NSW and Western Australia. The applicant proposes to limit access to the field sites to authorised personnel. The GM canola will not be used in commercial 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 (RARMP) 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 February 2012. A period of at least 30 days will be allowed for submission of comments, as required by the Act.

In the interim, you can obtain a copy of the application by contacting my Office (contact details below; please quote application number DIR 114). 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
Website http://www.ogtr.gov.au

Dr Joe Smith
Gene Technology Regulator
17 November 2011

• DIR 114 - Licence Application Summary (PDF 193 KB)

Website: http://www.ogtr.gov.au

Published: November 17, 2011