Assessment of new scientific elements supporting the prolongation of prohibition of the placing on the market of genetically modified oilseed rape Ms8, Rf3 and Ms8×Rf3 for food and feed purposes in Austria

Following a request from the European Commission, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) evaluated the documentation provided by Austria to support the prolongation of the safeguard clause measure prohibiting the placing on the market of genetically modified oilseed rape Ms8, Rf3 and Ms8×Rf3 for food and feed uses in Austria. EFSA assessed whether the submitted documentation comprised new scientific information that would change or invalidate the conclusions of its previous risk assessments on oilseed rape Ms8, Rf3 and Ms8×Rf3. In the documentation provided by Austria, EFSA could not identify new scientific evidence that indicates that the intended uses of oilseed rape Ms8, Rf3 and Ms8×Rf3 in the EU will pose a significant and imminent risk to the environment, and that would invalidate its previous risk assessments of oilseed rape Ms8, Rf3 and Ms8×Rf3. Based on the documentation supplied by Austria, EFSA concludes that there is no specific scientific evidence in terms of risk to the environment that would support the notification of a safeguard clause measure under Article 23 of Directive 2001/18/EC, nor its prolongation.