Australia
May 16, 2007
Application for Licence for
Limited and Controlled Release of GMOs Into the Environment:
Application No. DIR 074/2007 Limited and controlled release of
GM herbicide tolerant and/or insect resistant Extra Long Staple
(ELS) Cotton (Gossypium barbadense)
DIR 074/2007
Early-bird notification: Coming Soon
Your chance to comment on the Risk Assessment and Risk
Management Plan for proposed dealings involving limited and
controlled release of GM insect resistant and/or herbicide
tolerant Gossypium barbadense cotton
Source:
http://www.ogtr.gov.au/pdf/ir/dir074ebnotific.pdf
EARLY-BIRD NOTIFICATION:
Coming soon
Your chance to comment on the Risk Assessment and Risk
Management Plan for proposed dealings involving intentional
release of genetically modified cotton: DIR 074/2007
Application
The Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) has
received an application (DIR 074/2007) under section 40 of
the Gene Technology Act 2000 (the Act) from Monsanto
Australia Limited (Monsanto) which, if approved, would
involve a limited and controlled release of genetically
modified organisms (GMOs) into the Australian environment.
Monsanto is seeking approval for a limited and controlled
release of Gossypium barbadense cotton that has been
genetically modified (GM) to provide resistance to the major
lepidopteran caterpillar pests of cotton (cotton bollworm
and budworm), and/or tolerance to glyphosate, the active
constituent in Roundup Ready® Herbicide. G. barbadense
cotton is also known as Pima or Extra Long Staple (ELS)
cotton.
The release is proposed to take place at up to 13 sites (of
no more than 2 hectares each) in up to 13 shires in
Queensland and New South Wales (NSW), and an unincorporated
area in NSW, during the summer growing seasons of 2007/08
and 2008/09.
The new genes will be introduced by conventional breeding
with the GM G. hirsutum cottons Bollgard II® and Roundup
Ready Flex®, that have previously been extensively trialled
and approved for commercial release throughout Australia.
The aims of the proposed trial are to evaluate the agronomic
performance of the GM G. barbadense cotton including yield,
fibre quality and efficacy of the introduced traits; breed,
select and test new lines; collect data for possible future
applications to the OGTR and other regulators; and produce
seed for use in subsequent releases (subject to additional
approvals). None of the GM material from the proposed trial
will be used for human food or animal feed.
Purpose of this notification
As the Gene Technology Regulator, I would like to advise
people who have previously expressed interest in knowing
about work with GMOs in Australia that they now have the
opportunity to access information about this application,
including the application itself.
You can obtain a copy of the application from my Office (see
contact details below). When contacting the office, please
quote the reference number DIR 074/2007. As the application
is quite lengthy, you may prefer to view a summary of the
application, which is posted on our website with this
document (under ‘What’s New’) along with a set of Questions
and Answers. If you would like to receive a hard copy of the
summary and/or the Questions and Answers, please contact us
and we will post it to you.
A comprehensive Risk Assessment and Risk Management Plan
(RARMP) for this application is now being prepared with
input from a broad range of experts, agencies and
authorities, including State and Territory Governments, the
relevant local council, key Australian Government agencies,
the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources and the
Gene Technology Technical Advisory Committee. The RARMP is
expected to be released for public comment in mid August
2007. The Act specifies a 30 day minimum consultation
period. However, at this stage I anticipate allowing six
weeks for submissions to be received.
If you have questions about the application, or how you can
provide comment, please contact:
The Office of the Gene Technology Regulator
PO Box 100
Woden, ACT, 2606
www.ogtr.gov.au
Telephone: 1800 181 030
Facsimile: 02 6271 4202
E-mail:
ogtr@health.gov.au
(Dr) Sue D Meek
Gene Technology Regulator
16 May 2007
DIR
074/2007 - Questions & Answers
DIR
074/2007 - Cotton Licence Application Summary
Reference
material
Risk Analysis Framework for Licence Applications to the Office
of the Gene Technology Regulator (2nd Edition) 2005 |
|
