The present document represents a companion document to the Directive 9408 (Dir94-08), entitled “Directive 9408 (Dir94-08) Assessment Criteria for Determining Environmental Safety of  Plants with Novel Traits”. It is intended to provide background information on the biology of Brassica napus (L.), its centres of origin, its related species and the potential for gene introgression from B. napus into relatives, and details of the life forms with which it interacts.