Advice on the renewal of import and processing of GM cotton GHB119

COGEM has been requested to evaluate the environmental risks associated with the renewal of the authorisation for import of genetically modified (GM) cotton GHB119. The previous authorisation for import was granted in 2017 for a period of ten years. This cotton line expresses the cry2Ae and bar genes and is therefore resistant to certain insect pests and tolerant to certain herbicides.

The renewal application includes updated bioinformatics analyses, a literature review and the results of the mandatory post‑market environmental monitoring that has been carried out since 2017.

The Dutch climate is not suitable for cotton cultivation. There are also no wild relatives of cotton in the Netherlands, meaning that the introduced sequences of cotton line GHB119 cannot spread to other species. For these reasons COGEM considers the likelihood that accidental spillage of GM cotton seeds will lead to the spread or establishment of this cotton line in the Netherlands to be negligible.

The submitted information does not indicate any possible risks to human health or the environment. In view of the above, COGEM is of the opinion that renewal of the market authorisation for import and processing of GM cotton GHB119 poses a negligible risk to the Dutch environment. COGEM abstains from giving advice on the potential risks of incidental consumption, as a food/feed assessment is carried out by other organisations.