FSANZ to approve Monsanto’s MON88302 canola

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has decided to approve food derived from canola line MON88302 genetically modified to provide tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate. On 17 August 2012, FSANZ sought submissions on a draft variation to a standard and published an associated report. The safety assessment of canola line MON88302 showed that no potential public health and safety concerns were identified. Based on the data provided in the present Application, and other available information, food derived from canola line MON88302 is considered to be as safe for human consumption as food derived from conventional canola cultivars. FSANZ approved the draft variation to the Standard on 6 December 2012.

Canola line MON88302 is tolerant to the herbicide glyphosate. Tolerance is achieved through the introduction of the cp4 epsps gene, from the soil bacterium Agrobacterium sp. expressing the protein 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (CP4 EPSPS). EPSPS proteins have been widely used to confer glyphosate tolerance in a range of GM crop species. The Applicant claims that, compared with a previous glyphosate-tolerant canola (GT73 - Application A363), MON88302 tolerates higher levels of glyphosate and permits greater flexibility in the stage at which the glyphosate can be applied.