A PBA Dominator crop growing in north-eastern NSW in March 2024. Photo: Soy Australia

THE AUSTRALIAN soybean industry is taking steps to keep itself GM free following the detection of traces of genetically modified material in the PBA Dominator variety.

Toowoomba company PB Agrifood holds the Australian plant breeders’ rights for PBA Dominator.

After reporting the detection to the Australian Government’s Office of the Gene Technology Regulator, PB Agrifood was in April granted a 12-month inadvertent dealings licence to accumulate all quantities of the variety.

Under the licence, PB Agrifood is required to process all PBA Dominator soybeans to ensure they cannot be used as seed.

PBA Dominator forms only a very small portion of the Australian soybean crop, grown mostly in Queensland and New South Wales, with production from the most recent crop totalling 46,600 tonnes from 25,600ha.

Australia annually imports around 1 million tonnes of full-fat soybean meal, most of it from GM crops, for use in the stockfeed industry, and meal made from the corralled PBA Dominator soybeans will supplement that.

PB Agrifood has contacted all its PBA Dominator growers, and now has the soybeans either in or on their way to its storages.

While soybeans are grown as far south as Victoria, and up into North Queensland, the variety in question is grown only in north-eastern New South Wales and south-eastern Qld.

The GM event detected in PBA Dominator has been identified as traces of MON-89788-1, which promotes glyphosate resistance.

How the incursion occurred is unknown.

Industry body Soy Australia will individually test every licensed seed line before it is released for sowing in coming months.

“In addition, mother-seed stocks held in secure storage will be multiplied over the next two years to rebuild a verified, GM-free foundation,” a Q&A sheet released by PB Agrifood said.

“These measures, taken in partnership with breeders and seed companies, will protect the credibility of Australian soybean seed.”

PB Agrifood is a major supplier of Australian soybean seed, some bred in Australia through a program now funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation.

PB Agrifood said it did not expect any disruption to the volume of planting seed available overall for the upcoming summer crop.

“Multiple approved, non-affected soybean varieties are in commercial production, and existing stocks, excluding PBA Dominator, are ample to meet all current and forward orders.”

“Soy Australia is also assisting PB Agrifood to verify and, where necessary, remove any contaminated product from commercial channels.”

Some soybeans, particularly in coastal areas, are grown as a green or brown manure crop, but the vast majority of Australian soybeans are grown for the human-consumption market.

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