The Australian Gene Technology Regulator approved the sale of a canola crop that has been genetically modified to resist a common herbicide after finding it was as safe as conventional canola and posed no risk to the environment.

"Of course you can never get a scientist of anyone who's had scientific training to say there's zero risk, but with the level of consultation and the depth of the analysis we've done, we have a very high level of confidence in this analysis," regulator Sue Meek told public radio.

Environmental group Greenpeace said the regulator had failed in its duty and rubber stamped a decision that would irreversibly change Australian agriculture.

"It flies in the face of community and farm industry sentiment, it ignores widespread health and environmental concerns and it does not reflect the deep divisions within the scientific community on this important matter," Greenpeace campaigner Jeremy Tager said.

While the GM canola has the approval of the federal regulator, it must still be cleared by state regulators before it can be planted.

Most state governments have imposed bans on GM food crops due to concerns about their potential environmental impact. The only GM plants grown in the country are the non-food crops of carnations and cotton.

A survey last month found many Australians were uncomfortable with bio-engineered foods, with 54 percent saying the risks outweighed any benefits.

However, the federal government earlier this year backed a US-led challenge in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to the European Union's ban on genetically modified foods.

The issue is likely to come to a head at the next formal WTO meeting in Cancun, Mexico, in September.

Meek said the decision to approve the GM canola strain addressed only health issues, not whether products using the crop should be labelled as genetically modified for customers.

"These issues need to be addressed separately," she said.

TERRA.WIRE