Australia
November 21, 2014
NOTIFICATION OF APPLICATION
Receipt of licence application (DIR 133) from Bayer for field trial of GM cotton
Application
The Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) has received a licence application from Bayer CropScience Pty Ltd (Bayer) for the intentional release of genetically modified (GM) cotton into the environment (DIR 133), which qualifies as a limited and controlled release under section 50A of the Gene Technology Act 2000.
Bayer is seeking approval to conduct a field trial of cotton genetically modified for insect resistance and herbicide tolerance to assess its agronomic characteristics.
The trial is proposed to take place between July 2015 and July 2021 on up to 14 sites of 10 hectares (ha) for the first year and up to 20 sites of 30 ha in subsequent years. Sites are to be selected from 56 possible local government areas in NSW, Queensland and Western Australia.
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 cotton seed will not be used for human food or animal feed, but the applicant proposes to sell cotton fibre from the trial.
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 February 2015.
In the interim, you can obtain a copy of the application by contacting my Office (contact details below; please quote the reference number DIR 133). 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
DIR 133 - Notification of licence application – Field trial of genetically modified cotton – posted 21 November 2014 (PDF 44 KB)
DIR 133 – Licence Application Summary (PDF 62 KB)
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