. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/Notif.00/432
18 September 2000
(00-3668)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   AUSTRALIA
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 A382 – Food derived from insect-protected potato lines (75 pages);
• Application A383 – Food derived from insect and potato leaf roll virus-protected
potato lines (75 pages);
• Application A384 – Food derived from insect and virus Y-protected potato lines
68 pages).
6. Description of content:  Australia previously notified a proposal to establish a standard
requiring a pre-market safety assessment of foods derived from gene technology on a case by
case basis.  These draft reports result from app lications for the approval of food derived from
three insect protected potato lines produced us ing gene technology to be listed in Standard
A18.  The reports describe the scientific assessments undertaken and recommend the addition
of the products concerned to the list of appr oved foods in Standard A18 Food Produced Using
Gene Technology of the Australian Food Standards Code.
The three lines of Russet Burbank and Shepody potatoes have been genetically modified in
order to provide protection against a range of insects, including the Colorado potato beetle
(CPB) as well as against potato virus Y (PVY).  These potatoes are known commercially as
New Leaf® Y potatoes.  The New Leaf® Y po tatoes are protected against CPB and PVY
through the transfer of two genes — the cry3Aa gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus
thuringiensis subspecies tenebrionis (B.t.t.) and the PVYcp gene from PVY.
New Leaf® Y potatoes are not grown in Australia and are currently not permitted to be
imported into Australia as fresh produce.  Rather, the principal food products containing
these potato varieties are likely to be imported processed food commodities such as
processed potato crisps, pre-cooked French fries, potato flour and potato starch.
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
The reports address human health or safety factors and process/production methods.G/TBT/Notif.00/432
Page 2
8. Relevant documents:   Australian Food Standards Code
9. Proposed date of adoption:
Proposed date of entry into force: }Recommendation to Government anticipatedto be made late 2000.  Entry into force
immediately after Government approval
10. Final date for comments:   30 October 2000
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [     ] or address, e-mail and telefax
number of the other body:   Documents are available from the Australia New Zealand
Food Authority website ( www.anzfa.gov.au ).  Also available from:
Australia New Zealand Food Authority
PO Box 7186
Canberra Mail Centre  ACT  2610AUSTRALIA         
Fax: (+61) 2 62712278
Email: info@anzfa.gov.au