Australia
July 27, 2012
DIR 115 - Notice of decision on GM cotton field trial
posted 27 July 2012
Issue of licence DIR 115 to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation for a limited and controlled release of GM cotton
On 21 May 2012, the Regulator invited submissions on the consultation version of the Risk Assessment and Risk Management Plan (RARMP) for licence application DIR 115 from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Organisation (CSIRO).
The Gene Technology Regulator has now made a decision to issue a licence in respect of application DIR 115, authorising the limited and controlled release (field trial) of eight types of cotton genetically modified for enhanced fibre yield.
The release is authorised to take place at one site per growing season in the local government area of Narrabri (NSW), between August 2012 and August 2015. The maximum area of a site will be 0.5 ha. The purpose of the release is to evaluate the potential for increasing fibre yield by increasing expression of one or more of the three cotton genes that are involved in regulation of fibre development. The GM cotton or its products will not be used for human food or animal feed.
The decision to issue the licence was made after extensive consultation on the RARMP with the public, State and Territory governments, Australian Government agencies, the Minister for the Environment, the Gene Technology Technical Advisory Committee, and relevant local councils, as required by the Gene Technology Act 2000 and corresponding State and Territory laws.
Issues relating to the health and safety of people and the protection of the environment raised during the consultation process were weighed against the body of current scientific information in reaching the conclusions set out in the finalised RARMP and in making the decision to issue the licence.
The finalised RARMP concludes that this limited and controlled release poses negligible risks to people and the environment. Licence conditions have been imposed to restrict spread and persistence of the GMOs and their genetic material in the environment and to limit the release in size, location and duration, as these were important considerations in the evaluation process.
Appendix A of the RARMP summarises the submissions that were received from prescribed experts, agencies and authorities, and indicates how issues raised relating to risks to human health and safety or the environment were considered in the document. No submissions were received from the public on the consultation RARMP.
The Executive Summary, Technical Summary and complete finalised RARMP, together with a set of Questions and Answers on this decision and a copy of the licence, can be obtained on-line from DIR 115 web page of the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator’s website or requested via the contacts detailed below.
Office of the Gene Technology Regulator MDP 54 GPO Box 9848 CANBERRA ACT 2601 Telephone: 1800 181 030, Facsimile: 02 6271 4202
DIR 115 - Questions and Answers
DIR 115 - Risk Assessment and Risk Management Plan (RARMP) Executive Summary
DIR 115 - Risk Assessment and Risk Management Plan (RARMP) Technical Summary
DIR 115 - Full Risk Assessment and Risk Management Plan (RARMP) for the limited and controlled release of cotton genetically modified for enhanced fibre yield
DIR 115 - Licence Application Summary
DIR 115 - GM cotton licence conditions
Reference material
Risk Analysis Framework for Licence Applications to the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (3rd Edition) 2009
The Biology of Gossypium hirsutum L. and Gossypium barbadense L. (cotton) in Australia
Map of Local Government Areas where cotton is grown (PDF 120 KB)
Topics
Species
