Growing GM crops in South Australia
The GM food crops currently approved for commercial cultivation in Australia are varieties of cotton, canola, Indian mustard and safflower.
The Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) is responsible for licensing commercial varieties of GM crops in Australia.
Fact sheets on GM cultivation and commercially available crop varieties are available on the OGTR website.
If you are considering growing GM crops in South Australia, you should consider:
- crop management practices
- machinery hygiene
- resistance management plans.
Preparing to grow GM food crops
Growers looking to include GM varieties as part of their 2021 rotation should seek advice from an agronomist and their preferred seed supplier. They may be required to:
- enter into stewardship and licensing agreements prior to receiving GM seed
- be required to complete accreditation courses.
It is important that growers discuss stewardship requirements with their technology providers.
More information on stewardship requirements for herbicide tolerant canola is available from Bayer Australia.
For information about GM and non-GM neighbours, go to Coexistence of GM and non-GM crop production systems.
Resources for growing GM crops
Further industry information on growing GM crops is available below.
- Bayer Crop Science Australia website has information on getting started and crop and resistance management plans
- Australian oilseeds website has grower guides, including the Canola Volunteer Control Guide.
- Australian Seed Federation for Best Practice Guidelines for the Management of GM Traits in Canola Seeds
- Grain Trade Australia for Delivering Market Choice with GM Crops
- Agricultural Biotechnology Council of Australia Resource Guide – The Official Australian Reference Guide to Agricultural Biotechnology and GM Crops