Forest Stewardship Council®
Stakeholder consultation of the FSC Centralized National Risk Assessment
Country: Sweden
Controlled Wood Category: 5 (Wood from forests in which genetically modified trees are planted)
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Please send this document saved with your comments to Darren Brown ([email protected]) by 2 April 2015.
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Forest Stewardship Council®
Table 5. Requirements for risk assessment of the use of GM trees (FSC-PRO-60-002a V1-0 FSC National Risk Assessment Framework)
Indicator
Context and considerations
Thresholds
5.1. There is no
commercial use
of
genetically
modified trees.
Does applicable legislation for the area under
assessment include a ban for commercial use
of GMO (trees)?
‘Low risk’ thresholds:
(1) GMO (trees) use is illegal according to
applicable legislation of the area under
assessment AND the risk assessment for
relevant indicators of Category 1 confirms
that applicable legislation is enforced ('low
risk'),
OR
(2) There is no commercial use of GMO
(tree) species in the area under assessment,
AND
(3) Other available evidence does not challenge a ‘low risk’ designation.
Is there evidence of unauthorized use of
GMO (trees)?
Is there any commercial use of GMO (trees)
in the country or region?
Are there any trials of GMO (trees) in the
country or region?
Are licenses required for commercial use of
GMO (trees)?
Are there any licenses issued for GM trees
relevant for the area under assessment? (If
so, in what regions, for what species and to
which entities?)
What species of GMO (trees) are used?
Can it be clearly determined in which MUs
the GMO (trees) are used?
‘Specified risk’ thresholds:
(4) GMO (trees) use is illegal according to
applicable legislation of the area under
assessment but risk assessment for relevant indicators of Category 1 confirms
‘specified risk',
OR
(5) There is commercial use of GM tree
species in the area under assessment.
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Forest Stewardship Council®
Indicator
Sources of information1
5.1. There is no
use of genetically
modified trees.
General
Swedish
Environmental
Code
(1998:808), chapter 7 section 12
(permit is required for the deliberate
release of genetically modified organisms or the placing on the market
of products containing or consisting
of such organisms)
Deliberate release
Swedish
Environmental
Code
(1998:808), chapter 13 section 8 (an
investigation shall be carried out
prior to the contained use and deliberate release of genetically modified
organisms)
Regulation on deliberate release of
genetically modified organisms in the
environment (2002:1086), chapter 2
section 17 (obligation to report deliberate release)
Regulation on deliberate release of
genetically modified organisms in the
environment (2002:1086), chapter 3
(requirement regarding application
for permit and reporting new circum-
1
2
Risk determination
and specification (if not low risk)
LOW RISK
(1) GMO use is illegal according to applicable legislation of the area under assessment AND the risk assessment for relevant indicators of Category 1 confirms that applicable legislation is enforced.
There is no ban on commercial use of GMO trees, but
Swedish law puts specific requirements on the use of
genetically modified organisms (GMO) including genetically modified tree species. The deliberate release, i.e. any intentional introduction of genetically
modified organisms into the environment without containment, requires a permit from the appointed authority. Basically such deliberate release may only be
carried out through field experiments, since it is not
legal to put genetically modified organisms on the
market with a permit covering deliberate release.
Functional
scale2
N/A
Control
Measures
N/A
Stakeholder feedback
According to Swedish law, licensing as well as supervising authority for application and notification concerning timber producing tree species is the Swedish
Forest Agency. However, in practice the Swedish
Board of Agriculture handles and decides on such
applications and is responsible for supervision. According to information from the Swedish Board of Agriculture each authorized field experiment with genetically modified tree species are visited annually for
supervision.
Provide justification why only these sources were used in the assessment.
Spatial units based on non-geographical characteristics, e.g. type of forested area tenure/ownership, scope of management, SIR.
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Forest Stewardship Council®
stances etc.)
Regulation on deliberate release of
genetically modified organisms in the
environment (2002:1086), chapter 4
(requirements on labelling, registration and information to the public)
Contained use
Regulation on contained use of genetically
modified
organisms
(2000:271), section 15 (obligation to
notify the supervising authority about
contained use of genetically modified
organisms)
Regulation on contained use of genetically
modified
organisms
(2000:271), section 7-14 (obligation
to assess risks and required protective measures).
Contained use of GMO, i.e. use for which specific
containment measures are used to limit their contact
with the general population and the environment, is
subject to a requirement to prior formal notification to
the supervising authority.
(2) There is no commercial use of GMO (tree) species
in the area under assessment,
There are no known commercial use nor any scientific
research aiming for commercial use of genetically
modified trees in Sweden. According to the largest
producer of tree seeds and seedlings, there is no aim
to commercially produce genetically modified material
in the future.
AND
(3) Other available evidence does not challenge ´low
risk´ designation.
Due to the low interest and activity concerning commercial use of GMO in the forestry sector and the
ambitious supervision on the experimental use, the
risk for non-compliance is considered low.
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