. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/AUS/217 
7 August 2007  
 (07-3350) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  AUSTRALIA
  
If applicable, name of local government involved:    
2. Agency responsible:   Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item numb er(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where 
applicable):  Processed foods and raw ingredients 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable :  All 
Countries.  Imported (as well as domestica lly produced) foods sold in Australia. 
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  Draft Assessment for 
Application A592 – Food derived from glyphos ate-tolerant soybean MON 89788 (available 
in English, 51 pages) 
6. Description of content:  FSANZ has received an Application to amend Standard 1.5.2 – 
Food Produced using Gene Technology in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code 
to approve the use of food products derived from genetically modified  glyphosate-tolerant 
soybean MON 89788.  
Glyphosate-tolerant soybean MON 89788 is not intended for cultivation in Australia. If 
approved, food derived from this soybean is likely to enter the market in Australia via imported products. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [ X ] food safety, [   ] animal health,  [   ] plant protection, [  
 ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease,  [   ] 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 objectiv es:  (a) the protection of public health and 
safety; (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, guideline or recommendation:  
[ X ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [   ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), [   ] International Plant Protection Convention, [   ] None  
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:    G/SPS/N/AUS/217 
Page 2  
 
  9. Relevant documents and langu age(s) in which these are available:   Australia New 
Zealand Food Standards Code  (available in English) 
10. Proposed date of adoption:  Notification to Government anticipated December 2007 with 
adoption (gazettal) to follow, pe nding Government consideration. 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  Date of Gazettal pending Government consideration (see 
10. above). 
12. Final date for comments:  5 October 2007 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [ X ] National notification 
authority, [   ] National enquiry point, or  address, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body: 
Food Standards Aust ralia New Zealand 
PO Box 7186 Canberra BC  ACT  2610 Australia 
Fax:  +(61 2) 6271 2278 
E-mail:  slo@foodstandards.gov.au 
13. Texts available from:  [ X ] National notificati on authority, [   ] Na tional enquiry point, 
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: 
Documents are available fro m the Food Standards Austra lia New Zealand website: 
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/standardsd evelopment/documentsforpublicco868.cfm .   
Copies are also available from: 
The Australian SPS Notification Point 
GPO Box 858 Canberra  ACT  2601 Australia Fax:  61 2 6272 3678    
E-mail:  sps.contact@daff.gov.au