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List of Genetically Modified Product approvals


The Gene Technology Act 2000 (Act) makes a distinction between genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and genetically modified (GM) products.

Genetically Modified Organism

Definition: The full definition of a GMO appears under section 10 of the Act. In essence, a GMO means:
  1. an organism that has been modified by gene technology; or
  2. an organism that has inherited particular traits from an organism (the initial organism), being traits that occurred in the initial organism because of gene technology.

Genetically Modified Product

Definition: A genetically modified product (GM product) means a thing (other than a GMO) derived or produced from a GMO (section 10 of the Act).

The Gene Technology Regulator (the Regulator) does not directly regulate the use of GM products in Australia because the use of GM products is usually regulated by other regulatory agencies in a number of situations. This arrangement avoids duplication of regulatory oversight. For example, the use of GM products in food for human consumption is regulated by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), and the use of GM products as human therapeutics is regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

Information about such GM products approved by other regulatory agencies is made publicly available by the Regulator, as part of the Record of GMO and GM products dealings.

For ease of reference, the GM product approvals have been separated into the types of uses for which regulatory approval has been given:

Food - information in relation to GM products approved as food, food additives and processing aids have been notified to the OGTR by FSANZ.
Therapeutic Goods - information in relation to GM products included in the Australian Register of Thereapeutic Goods.
Industrial Chemicals - To date no GM products used as industrial chemicals have been subject to evaluation by the National Industrial Chemical Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS).

Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines - information on GM products that have been subject to evaluation and approval by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Authority (APVMA).

The APVMA's Registered Product database (PUBCRIS) can be accessed via www.apvma.gov.au
THE ACTUAL DATABASE IS LOCATED AT http://services.apvma.gov.au/PubcrisWebClient/welcome.doTop of page


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