. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/Notif.00/487
10 October 2000
(00-4154)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   NEW ZEALAND
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):           
2. Agency responsible:   Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA)
Agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification shall be
indicated if different from above:           
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X], 2.10.1 [    ], 5.6.2 [    ], 5.7.1 [    ], other:           
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):   Processed foods
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:
Application A385 – Food derived from insect-protected Bt 176 corn (81 pages)
Application A386 – Food derived from insect-protected, herbicide-tolerant Bt-11
corn (74 pages)
6. Description of content:   The draft report describes the scientific assessments undertaken
and recommends an addition to the list of approved standards in Standard A18 of the Food
Standards Code which regulates the sale of food and food ingredients, other than additives
and processing aids, which are produced using gene technology.  This standard has been
adopted in New Zealand under Section 112 of  the New Zealand Food Act 1981 as amended.
Clause 3 prescribes mandatory labelling of a food produced using gene technology when itcontains new or altered genetic material and where it is not substantially equivalent in any
characteristic or property of the food.  [Bt-11] [Bt-176] corn has been found to be
equivalent to other commercial varieties of corn and there is no requirement for mandatory
labelling under the current standard.
On 28 July 2000 the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Council agreed to a revised
standard which requires labelling of food when novel DNA and/or protein in the final food
and also where the food has altered characteristics.  This requirement will come into effect
12 months after the date of gazettal and may result in changes to the way in which
GM foods, including those derived from [Bt-11] and [Bt-176] corn are required to be
labelled.
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
The applications under consideration are primarily health related and are concerned with the
protection of human health and safety.  There may be future requirements for labelling.
8. Relevant documents:   Australian Food Standards CodeG/TBT/Notif.00/487
Page 2
9. Proposed date of adoption:
Proposed date of entry into force: }Recommendation to Government anticipatedto made late 2000.  Entry into force expected
in early to mid 2002.
10. Final date for comments:   15 November 2000
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [   ] or address, e-mail and telefax
number of the other body:   Authority website ( www.anzfa.gov.au ).  Also available,
quoting Applications A385 and A386, from:
Australia New Zealand Food Authority
PO B OX 7186
Canberra Mail Centre  ACT  2610
AUSTRALIA
Fax (+61) 2 62712278
Email info@anzfa.gov.au
This TBT notification is also being made by Australia, and it it also being notified
under the SPS Agreement.