After
public consultation, Defra
has now given approval for a site in East Yorkshire to be used
by BASF for its GM potato
trials programme.
The statutory approval is valid until
2011. BASF will not proceed with trials at the East Yorkshire
site this year, but may do so in future years.
Last December Defra gave approval to
BASF to undertake research trials of a GM disease-resistant
potato at a site in Cambridge.
The BASF application for the East
Yorkshire site has been evaluated by the independent expert
group the Advisory Committee of Releases to the Environment
(ACRE). It is satisfied that trials at this site will not result
in any adverse effect on human health or the environment.
The GM potato developed by BASF is
resistant to late potato blight.
This can be a significant disease
problem for UK potato growers, who normally combat it by
applying chemical fungicides. The purpose of the research trials
is to test the effectiveness of the potato's resistance against
UK pathotypes of the disease. Similar trials are already
underway in other European countries.
Reflecting ACRE's advice, precautionary
conditions have been attached to the statutory consent for the
trials. These aim to ensure that GM material does not persist at
the trial sites. The harvested GM potatoes will not be used for
food or animal feed.
