Teagasc defends proposal to plant GM potatoes in outdoors trial

National agri-food research body Teagasc says its proposal to plant blight-resistant GM potatoes outdoors in Ireland is a necessary part of a trial to gauge their ecological impacts on bacterial, fungal, nematode and earthworm diversity in the soil.

The Environmental Protection Agency has received 81 submissions from the public in relation to Teagasc’s application to conduct the trials over the next four years at Oak Park, Carlow.

Teagasc has been conducting indoor GM potato trials for the past decade, but has ceased all field GM-related crop trials since the late 1990s for various reasons.