The Canadian Experience with the Consideration of Gene Flow in the Environmental Risk Assessment of Herbicide Tolerant Novel Plants.

Gene flow via pollen is a fundamental aspect of plant reproductive biology and as such is a common consideration for the environmental risk assessment of a genetically engineered plant.  Although gene flow is not itself a hazard, the  introgression of novel genes into sexually compatible species can be  a possible pathway to harm that will be evaluated during the risk assessment.  In Canada, the introduction of novel traits such as novel herbicide tolerance traits will trigger regulatory oversight no matter what method was used to introduce the trait.  A comparison of the  assessment of gene flow from genetically engineered herbicide tolerant canola to the assessment of gene flow from herbicide tolerant sunflowers that are a product of mutation breeding illustrates how the consideration of gene flow as part of a potential pathway to harm is conducted in Canada and highlights how the potential introgression of herbicide tolerant genes into sexually compatible species is evaluated as a possible risk.