The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today given consent to Teagasc, Oak Park, Co Carlow, to carry out field trials on a genetically modified (GM) potato line with improved resistance to late potato blight.  The consent is subject to eight conditions. These Conditions address the following matters:

•  The scope of the consent
• The duration, location and area of the field trials
• The management of the field trials
• The duty upon the notifier to inform the Agency of new information
• Requirements in relation to reporting to the Agency
• The detection method for the identification of the GM potatoes
• Sampling the trial site, and charges for carrying out site inspections, auditing and monitoring.

The approval for field trials follows a detailed examination and assessment by the EPA of a notification from Teagasc. In assessing the application the EPA has carried out extensive consultations with all appropriate state agencies and government departments including the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) as well as the National Advisory Committee on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). A total of 83 representations were received from interested parties and these were fully assessed as part of the licensing process.

The field trials will be carried out at one location at Oak Park, Co Carlow. The duration of the consent is for four years, from 2012 to 2016 (inclusive), with post-trial monitoring continuing until 2020. Planting will not exceed two hectares in area.

Under the EPA consent, the trials will be subject to strict conditions with regular monitoring and reporting to the EPA. The trial sites will also be checked for compliance with the licence conditions on a regular basis by the EPA.

Teagasc will also be required to submit bimonthly reports to the EPA during the growing season as well as an end of year report. Information about the trials including the results of monitoring will be available to the public at EPA Headquarters in Wexford and on the EPA website (www.epa.ie).

A three-month period during which a judicial review can be sought has now commenced.

All related documentation is available for download from the EPA website.

The field trial will be performed as part of an EU publicly funded 7th Framework research programme called AMIGA (Assessing and Monitoring the Impacts of GM plants on Agro-ecosystems). The AMIGA consortium consists of 22 partners representing 15 EU Member States.

The purpose of the field trial is to:

• Quantify the impact of GM potato cultivation on bacterial, fungal, nematode and earthworm diversity in the soil, compared to a conventional potato system;
• Identify integrated pest management (IPM) strategies and components which could be positively or negatively affected by the adoption of GM late blight resistant potato;
• Employ the project’s resources as a tool for education and demonstration in order to proactively engage and discuss the issues that most concern stakeholders and the public at large in regards to the cultivation of GM crops in Ireland.

The same GM potato line, as will be used during the Teagasc field trial, was released in 3 locations in the Netherlands in 2011. During these trials no unforeseen effects as compared to conventional potato varieties were observed according to the Dutch Competent Authority.

GM potatoes with improved resistance to late blight (similar GMO) are currently being trialled in Belgium (since March 2011) and in the UK (since May 2010). These trials will continue until October 2012.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is currently considering an application from BASF for a GM potato, resistant to late blight disease for authorisation under Regulation 1829/2003 for GM food and feed. This application is for the import, processing and cultivation of a Phytophthora (late blight) resistant potato within the EU and could have relevance for Irish agriculture.

What happens next if the trials are positive?

Teagasc have stated that they are not in the business of developing GM crops for commercialisation. However, if the results of the experimental release are positive, biotech companies may decide to place the GMO potato on the market, i.e. make it available to farmers for cultivation purposes. It is important to point out that the placing on the market of a GMO cannot proceed without the prior approval under the provisions of Part C of Directive 2001/18/EC on the deliberate release into the environment or under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 on food and feed. If approval is granted under the comitology procedure at EU level, then the GMO may then be placed on the market in the EU for purposes of cultivation, importation, or transformation into different products for food and feed use.

Tweet