Australia
December 18, 2008

Introduction of genetically modified (GM) canola varieties into the Australian supply chain will not create significantly more work for industry, but may require expansion of existing sampling and testing regimes.

The Bureau of Rural Sciences (BRS) today released the report Maintaining product integrity in the Australian seed and grain supply chain – the role of sampling and testing for GM events.

“This report is a comprehensive review of sampling and testing likely to be needed in the future for managing the unintended presence of approved GM organisms in non-GM seed and grain,” BRS Executive Director Karen Schneider said.

“This report presents, for the first time, proposed sampling and testing screening packages for GM organisms at several points along the supply chain.

“These screening packages could be used by industry as a model approach to ensure continued product integrity, allowing co-existence of GM and non-GM seed and grain in the supply chain.

“Industry routinely performs sampling and testing of seed and grain for quality attributes such as oil or protein content. Adding extra tests for the presence of approved GM organisms in non-GM seed or grain is unlikely to impose significant extra burden.

“Ultimately, it’s market demand for differentiated products—GM and non-GM—that will drive the sampling and testing needs of the Australian seed and grain industry.”

In Australia, the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator is the body responsible for dealing with GM organisms and assessing their risks to human health and safety and the environment. For further information or to download a copy of Maintaining product integrity in the Australian seed and grain supply chain – the role of sampling and testing for GM events visit www.brs.gov.au.

Website: http://www.daff.gov.au

Published: December 18, 2008