Australia: Agricultural Biotechnology Annual
The Australian federal government is very supportive of biotechnology and has committed considerable long-term funding to research and development. The genetic engineering (GE) argument continues to move forward in Australia with the Australian Senate passing a motion in August 2015 supporting GE crops as being “an environmentally friendly farming technology supported by scientific rigor.” To date, biotech cotton, canola and carnation varieties remain the only agricultural crops approved for commercial release into the environment in Australia. Australia requires that food products derived from GE crops, if they contain more than one percent of GE content, receive prior approval from Food Standards Australia New Zealand before they can be sold. Such products must also be labeled to indicate that they contain GE ingredients. A technical review of the Gene Technology Regulations 2001 is currently underway to provide clarity regarding regulatory capture of new innovative technologies.
