. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/AUS/140
29 May 2002
(02-2938)
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:  Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA)
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 :  Draft Assessment Report
for Application A436 – Insect-Pro tected Cotton Line 15985 (78 pages)
6. Description of content:  ANZFA has received and is assessing an application to amend the
Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code to approve the use of food products derived
from Insect-Protected Cotton Line 15985.  The Application seeks approval under Standard
A18/1.5.2 – Food Produced Using Gene Technology, for foods derived from cotton lines
containing event 15985.  The presence of this event in cotton confers protection againstinsect attack and such lines are known commercially as Bollgard II
® cotton.  Cotton
containing this event is not currently commercially grown but an application to grow it
commercially in Australia has also been l odged with the Office of the Gene Technology
Regulator.  ANZFA is in the process of consulting interested parties as part of making its
assessment.
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 and safety;
(b) the provision of adequate information relating to food to enable consumers to makeinformed 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:G/SPS/N/AUS/140
Page 2
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Australian Food
Standards Code, New Zealand Food Regulations 1984  (Both available in English),
Standard 1.5.2.
10. Proposed date of adoption:  Recommendation to Government anticipated to be made late
2002, adoption to follow  pending Government approval.
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  Not known, date of entry after Government approval
(see 9. above).
12. Final date for comments:  20 July 2002
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] National notification
authority, [   ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (ifavailable) of other body:
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National notification authority,  [   ]  National enquiry point,
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
Documents are available from the Australia New Zealand Food Authority website
(www.anzfa.gov.au)
Documents also available from:
Australia New Zealand Food Authority
PO Box 7186
Canberra BC ACT 2610
Australia
Fax:  (+61) 2 6271 2278
Email:  info@anzfa.gov.au