Australian OGTR approves the field trial for Nuseed's GM canola

The Australian Office of Gene Technology Regulator(OGTR) has issued a licence in respect of application DIR 123 from Nuseed Pty Ltd (Nuseed), authorising the limited and controlled release (field trial) of canola lines that have been genetically modified (GM) for altered oil content.

The release is authorised to take place between March 2014 and March 2019, with trial sites selected from 153 possible local government areas (LGAs) in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia. The trial will be conducted at a maximum of four sites of up to 2 hectares (ha) in 2014, six sites of up to 10 ha in 2015 and ten sites of up to 20 ha in each subsequent year.

The primary purpose of the field trial is to evaluate the agronomic characteristics, oil content and genetic stability of the GM canola under field conditions. The GM canola will not enter the human food or animal feed supply but some GM material may be used for small-scale experimental animal feeding studies.

On 4 September 2013, Australian OGTR invited submissions on the consultation of the Risk Assessment and Risk Management Plan (RARMP) for licence application DIR 123 from Nuseed. The finalised RARMP concludes that this limited and controlled release poses negligible risks to people and the environment.