. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/AUS/143
12 November 2002
(02-6250)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   AUSTRALIA
If applicable, name of local government involved:
2. Agency responsible:   Food Standards Austra lia New Zealand (FSANZ)
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where
applicable):   Processed foods in general
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:
Imported (as well as domestically produced) foods sold in Australia.
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  Initial Assessment for
Application A446 – F ood derived from Insect-Protected, Glufosinate-Ammonium Tolerant
Corn (maize) Line 1507 (10 pages).
6. Description of content:   FSANZ has received an application to amend the Food Standards
Code  to approve food derived from a corn line 1507 genetically modified to produce a Bt
protein (CRY1F) that confers protection against attack by certain lepidopteran insect pests,
and a PAT protein for tolerance to glufosinate-ammonium herbicide.
7. Objective and rationale:  [  X ] food safety, [   ] animal health, [   ] plant protection,
[  ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or di sease,  [   ]  protect territory from other
damage from pests
Foods produced using gene technology are required to undergo a pre-market assessment of
their safety, to ensure that they are as safe as their conventional counterparts.
All applications to change the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code , must be
assessed in the context of the following objectives:  (a) the protection of public health andsafety;  (b) the provision of adequate information relating to food to enable consumers to
make informed choices;  and (c) the prevention of misleading or deceptive conduct.
8. International standard, gu ideline or recommendation:
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [   ] Office International des Epizooties,
[   ] International Plant Prot ection Convention, [ X ] None
If an international standard , guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:
9. Relevant documents and language(s ) in which these are available:   A u s t r a l i a n  Food
Standards Code, New Zealand Food Regulations 1984  (both in English), Standard 1.5.2.
10. Proposed date of adoption:  Recommendation to Government anticipated to be made
mid-2003, adoption to follow  pending Government approval.G/SPS/N/AUS/143
Page 2
11. Proposed date of entry into force:   Not known, date of entry after Government approval
(see 9. above).
12. Final date for comments:   20 December 2002
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] National notification
authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if
available) of other body:
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National notification authority,  [ X ]  National enquiry point,
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
Documents are available from the Food Standards Australia New Zealand website
(www.foodstandards.gov.au ).
Copies available from:
The Australian SPS Notification Point
PO Box 858Canberra City
ACT 2601
AUSTRALIA
Fax: (+61) 2 6272 3678
Email: sps.contact@affa.gov.au