Genetically-modified (GM) crops divide opinion in Ireland, as elsewhere, between advocates and critics: some see them as a means of accelerating food production, while others fear they may damage the environment. Teagasc – the State agricultural development body – will shortly begin the second phase of a study to examine the impact GM potatoes on the environment.
The Irish study, part of an EU-funded project with 15 member-states participating, is limited in scale. In Carlow, three different types of potato plants will be spread across two acres, one third of which will be GM plants. GM potatoes are blight resistant, and the Teagasc study will investigate how they affect soil microbes. There is an obvious need for this research, given the serious challenge that blight poses. GM crops have not contaminated the world as many opponents have predicted.
To protect against blight growers spray potatoes up to 15 times during the growing seasons. But as more and more EU legislation limits the use of crop protection products, potato growers are under increasing pressure to change their methods. As yet, there is no alternative to current practice. However, the Teagasc study should help to clarify matters. GM technology warrants greater use if it can deliver in terms of human benefit, primarily in the sense of enhancing global nutrition, or ensuring a better environmental outcome from farming.
Claims that this research puts Ireland’s GM- free status in question are misplaced. As Dr Ewen Mullins of Teagasc noted, the State is not GM-free, as Ireland imports close to one million tonnes of GM animal feed each year.
And Teagasc, given its role, is unlikely to risk damaging the image and reputation of the Irish food industry. It is pursuing research, specific to Irish conditions, which will then allow an informed choice. GM technology could ensure a blight-resistant potato in five years. Whether it can do so, without an adverse impact on the Irish environment, is what this study is seeking to establish.