ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the framework in which regulations relating to the growing of herbicide-resistant crops (HRCs) need to be developed in Australia. Despite its large size, Australia does not have an abundance of arable land and <4% is used annually for cropping. The cropping zone encompasses a diverse range of climates. The mediterranean climate in southern Australia is characterized by mild temperatures in the winter and hot, dry summers. The growth in winter cereal production between 1960 and the 1980s was achieved by expansion into new areas and by shortening the pasture phase of the rotations. The process of registering pesticides in Sweden, Denmark, and The Netherlands is forcing the pace of change by imposing new and more demanding environmental criteria relating to persistence, mobility, and toxicity to aquatic organisms and to soil biota. The principal objective of the Quarantine Act is the exclusion of pests, weeds, and diseases affecting humans, animals, and plants.
