Australia
March 3, 2011

DIR 110 - Notification of Licence Application - Limited and controlled release of cotton genetically modified for fungal control

NOTIFICATION OF APPLICATION

Receipt of licence application from Hexima Limited for dealings involving intentional release of genetically modified (GM) cotton (DIR 110)

Application

The Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) has received a licence application from Hexima Limited (Hexima) for the intentional release of genetically modified (GM) cotton into the environment (DIR 110), which qualifies as limited and controlled release under section 50A of the Gene Technology Act 2000 (the Act).

Hexima is seeking approval to conduct a field trial of cotton genetically modified for fungal control. The GM cotton line proposed for release contains a gene from tobacco, which is expected to confer fungal disease resistance. The purpose of the proposed trial is to assess resistance to fungal diseases when the introduced gene is expressed in commercial cotton varieties that display some natural fungal disease tolerance under field conditions. The applicant proposes to limit the release to four sites per growing season, with a maximum combined area of 1.0 ha, over three years from October 2011 to July 2014. Sites may be located in seven possible local government areas (LGAs) in Queensland and six possible LGAs in New South Wales. The GM cotton will not be used for human food or animal feed.

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 (RARMP) 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 June 2011. A period of at least 30 days will be allowed for submission of comments, as required by the Act.

In the interim, you can obtain a copy of the application by contacting my Office (contact details below; please quote the reference number DIR 110). 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 110 - Licence Application Summary (PDF 164 KB)
 

Website: http://www.hexima.com.au

Published: March 3, 2011