GeneWatch UK PR: GM potato research a waste of money

Monday 17th February 2014

GeneWatch UK today criticised Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) for wasting public money on genetically modified (GM) potato research. BBSRC-funded research by the John Innes Centre (JIC) on a GM blight-resistant potato is published today (1). The BBSRC has spent £3.2 million on the research to date (2) but considerably more research will be needed to create a commercial product because more genetic modification is needed to resist other strains of blight.

"Taxpayers' money is being wasted on yet more GM research that is a very long way from delivering what farmers really need" said Dr Helen Wallace, Director of GeneWatch UK "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?"

The paper shows that one variety of GM potato gave some protection against one strain of blight (known as "Pink 6") in the third year of trials. JIC's other GM potato strain failed and the protected strain made no difference to the crop in the first two years when blight was limited or late. The GM potato was not tested for resistance to other strains of blight, such as the aggressive "blue 13" strain, and the researchers admit that the single genetic modification cannot protect against all strains. In contrast, conventionally-bred non-GM blight-resistant potatoes are already available and are tested against multiple strains of blight (3).

The GM industry's PR strategy is to focus on promises of future GM crops, which are never delivered in reality, rather than on the real problems with GM crops in the ground today (4). The main GM crops grown in North and South America are herbicide-tolerant GM crops, such as Monsanto's RoundUp Ready GM soya. Blanket spraying of these crops with weedkiller has led to the spread of herbicide-tolerant superweeds across more than half of US farmland and caused a major reduction in the numbers of Monarch butterflies, due to loss of habitat. British consumers are unwittingly contributing to this environmental damage by eating unlabelled meat, milk and eggs fed on imported GM feed (5). New GM crops resistant to more toxic weedkillers will enter the UK market soon if planted overseas (6).

"The GM industry is always promising jam tomorrow, but it's never jam today. The real next generation of GM crops will be tolerant to more toxic weedkillers such as 2,4-D, and cause even greater damage to the environment and wildlife" said Dr Wallace.

For further information contact:

Dr Helen Wallace 01298-24300 (office) 07903-311584 (mobile)