The first potato genetically modified to resist blight may soon be grown in Britain. It was engineered in a three-year project that saw genes from a wild South American potato inserted into a normal Desiree. Scientists say it is fully resistant to blight, caused by the organism Phytophthora infestans, which destroys up to half of British crops in a bad year. Revolution: Professor Joanthan Jones, who led the three-year study, with the two crops which were combined . The disease was responsible for the Irish famine of 1845 and remains potato farmers’ greatest enemy, costing them £60 million a year. However, critics say tampering with genes in crops to create ‘Frankenfoods’ could damage natural ecosystems and affect human health, and insist shoppers would never knowingly buy GM products. The results of the latest research, published today in a Royal Society journal, show 100 per cent of non-GM plants in a trial were infected by blight, while the new variety was fully resistant. Boiling with anger: Will GM spuds soon be in shops? The researchers, at the Sainsbury Laboratory in Norfolk, hope to use the technology on the Maris Piper potato, which makes up 15 per cent of the British market. Desirees make up 2 per cent. Consumer fears have so far kept genetic engineering out of British farming. No GM products have ever been commercially grown in this country, and only one – a pest-resistant maize – is authorised for cultivation in Europe. Currently all GM foods have to be labelled, but meat, milk and eggs from farm animals fed on GM products do not, and campaigners are worried about political pressure to accelerate research in the field. Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has warned that Britain risks becoming the ‘museum of world farming’ if it does not embrace the technology. But Emma Hockridge, head of policy at the Soil Association, said: ‘There is no market for GM potatoes in the UK. ‘Growing any GM potatoes in the UK could lead to contamination in the supply chain, resulting in massive loss of markets for UK farmers.’ Liz O’Neill, director of the GM Freeze campaign group, said: ‘Experience shows that the UK doesn’t want GM in its shopping basket and British farmers are far too smart to grow something they can’t sell, so just who is this new potato being developed for?’ The campaign group GeneWatch UK accused the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, which funded the trial, of wasting taxpayers’ money. Dr Helen Wallace, director of GeneWatch UK, said: 'There are blight-resistant non-GM potatoes already on the market. Why waste money, take unnecessary risks, and end up with a product that no one wants to eat?' Dr Helen Wallace, director of GeneWatch UK, said: ‘There are blight-resistant non-GM potatoes already on the market. Why waste money, take unnecessary risks, and end up with a product that no one wants to eat?’ But Professor Jonathan Jones, who led the research, said: ‘This is the first peer-reviewed report of a GM trial conducted in the UK in which there was clear benefit of the trait – in this case disease resistance – illustrating the potential of the technology.’ It would stop farmers having to spray crops, and Professor Jones hopes to ‘replace chemical control with genetic control’. He said the GM crops would produce three times more potatoes than normal varieties. Scientists are now studying ways to thwart future attacks by blight that becomes resistant to the new variety. Before the potato can be planted commercially and sold to consumers in the UK, it will have to pass notoriously laborious EU tests for toxicity, allergic reactions and the risk of contaminating other crops with modified genes.
Genes from South American potato were inserted into normal Desiree .
It was 100 per cent resistant to blight, which caused Irish famine of 1845 .
The disease still kills half of all British crops in a bad year .
GM supported by government but campaigners fear risk to human health .
The first potato genetically modified to resist blight may soon be grown in Britain. It was engineered in a three-year project that saw genes from a wild South American potato inserted into a normal Desiree. Scientists say it is fully resistant to blight, caused by the organism Phytophthora infestans, which destroys up to half of British crops in a bad year. Revolution: Professor Joanthan Jones, who led the three-year study, with the two crops which were combined . The disease was responsible for the Irish famine of 1845 and remains potato farmers’ greatest enemy, costing them £60 million a year. However, critics say tampering with genes in crops to create ‘Frankenfoods’ could damage natural ecosystems and affect human health, and insist shoppers would never knowingly buy GM products. The results of the latest research, published today in a Royal Society journal, show 100 per cent of non-GM plants in a trial were infected by blight, while the new variety was fully resistant. Boiling with anger: Will GM spuds soon be in shops? The researchers, at the Sainsbury Laboratory in Norfolk, hope to use the technology on the Maris Piper potato, which makes up 15 per cent of the British market. Desirees make up 2 per cent. Consumer fears have so far kept genetic engineering out of British farming. No GM products have ever been commercially grown in this country, and only one – a pest-resistant maize – is authorised for cultivation in Europe. Currently all GM foods have to be labelled, but meat, milk and eggs from farm animals fed on GM products do not, and campaigners are worried about political pressure to accelerate research in the field. Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has warned that Britain risks becoming the ‘museum of world farming’ if it does not embrace the technology. But Emma Hockridge, head of policy at the Soil Association, said: ‘There is no market for GM potatoes in the UK. ‘Growing any GM potatoes in the UK could lead to contamination in the supply chain, resulting in massive loss of markets for UK farmers.’ Liz O’Neill, director of the GM Freeze campaign group, said: ‘Experience shows that the UK doesn’t want GM in its shopping basket and British farmers are far too smart to grow something they can’t sell, so just who is this new potato being developed for?’ The campaign group GeneWatch UK accused the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, which funded the trial, of wasting taxpayers’ money. Dr Helen Wallace, director of GeneWatch UK, said: 'There are blight-resistant non-GM potatoes already on the market. Why waste money, take unnecessary risks, and end up with a product that no one wants to eat?' Dr Helen Wallace, director of GeneWatch UK, said: ‘There are blight-resistant non-GM potatoes already on the market. Why waste money, take unnecessary risks, and end up with a product that no one wants to eat?’ But Professor Jonathan Jones, who led the research, said: ‘This is the first peer-reviewed report of a GM trial conducted in the UK in which there was clear benefit of the trait – in this case disease resistance – illustrating the potential of the technology.’ It would stop farmers having to spray crops, and Professor Jones hopes to ‘replace chemical control with genetic control’. He said the GM crops would produce three times more potatoes than normal varieties. Scientists are now studying ways to thwart future attacks by blight that becomes resistant to the new variety. Before the potato can be planted commercially and sold to consumers in the UK, it will have to pass notoriously laborious EU tests for toxicity, allergic reactions and the risk of contaminating other crops with modified genes.
from a wild South American potato inserted into a resistant to blight, caused by the organism of British crops in a bad year. Revolution: The disease was responsible for the Irish famine ecosystems and affect human health, and insist