Division 1.3.1 Choice of the conventional counterpart and additional comparators

In the case of vegetatively propagated crops, the conventional counterpart shall, in principle, be the near-isogenic variety used to generate the transgenic line.

In the case of crops that reproduce sexually, the conventional counterpart shall have a genetic background comparable to the genetically modified plant. When the GM plant has been developed using back-crossing, a conventional counterpart with a genetic background that is as close as possible to the genetically modified plant shall be selected.

In addition, the applicant may include a comparator having a closer genetic background to the genetically modified plant than the conventional counterpart (such as a negative segregant).

In the case of herbicide tolerant genetically modified plants and in order to assess whether the expected agricultural practices influence the expression of the studied endpoints, three test materials shall be compared: the genetically modified plant exposed to the intended herbicide; the conventional counterpart treated with conventional herbicide management regimes; and the genetically modified plant treated with the same conventional herbicide management regimes.

In the case of stacked transformation events, it is not always possible to use a conventional counterpart with a genetic background as close to the genetically modified plant as with conventional counterpart normally used for single transformation events. In such circumstances, the applicant shall provide reasoned justification on the choice of the conventional counterpart and assess its limitations for the risk assessment. In addition, single parental genetically modified lines or genetically modified lines containing a subcombination of the stacked transformation events for which an application has been submitted or negative segregants derived from these genetically modified lines may also be included as additional comparators. The applicant shall provide detailed information justifying the choice of additional comparators.

In all cases, the applicant shall provide information on the breeding scheme (pedigree) in relation to the genetically modified plant, the conventional counterpart and, where appropriate, additional comparators together with an adequate justification of their selection. The history of safe use of the conventional counterpart shall be adequately supported by both qualitative and quantitative data.

More detailed guidance for the application of the requirements of this Section is available F1....