Australia
October 31, 2013
Limited and controlled release of wheat genetically modified for enhanced yield stability – Victorian Government Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI-Vic)
Issue of licence DIR 122 to the Victorian Government Department of Environment and Primary Industries for a field trial of GM wheat
31 October 2013
On 8 August 2013, the Regulator invited submissions on the consultation version of the Risk Assessment and Risk Management Plan (RARMP) for licence application DIR 122 from the Victorian Government Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI-Vic).
The Gene Technology Regulator has now made a decision to issue a licence in respect of application DIR 122, authorising the limited and controlled release (field trial) of wheat lines that have been genetically modified (GM) for enhanced yield stability.
The release is authorised to take place at one site per growing season in the local government area of Horsham (VIC), between November 2013 and March 2016. The maximum area of a site will be 2 ha. The purpose of the trial is to assess the effect of the genetic modifications on yield under field conditions. The GM wheat 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 the corresponding State and Territory legislation.
Issues relating to the health and safety of people and the protection of the environment raised during the consultation process were considered in the context 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. Ten submissions were received from the public on the consultation RARMP and the issues raised, and their consideration, are summarised in Appendix B of the RARMP.
A Summary and the 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 the DIR 122 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 122 - Notification of decision on GM wheat field trial (PDF 74 KB)
DIR 122 Questions and Answers (PDF 18 KB)
DIR 122 Summary of Risk Assessment and Risk Management Plan (RARMP) (PDF 88 KB)
DIR 122 Full Risk Assessment and Risk Management Plan (RARMP) (PDF 441 KB)
DIR 122 – GM wheat field trial licence conditions (PDF 154 KB)
Reference material
Risk Analysis Framework for Licence Applications to the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (3rd Edition) 2009
The Biology of Triticum aestivum L. em Thell (Bread Wheat)
Topics
Species
