GM potatoes in Britain

The cultivation of a field of GM potatoes had been abandoned more than a year ago. The 400 plants in the field in North Yorkshire were removed a few weeks after planting as a result of damage caused by environmentalists. But - without informing the public - the project has been restarted. The Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs stated that the original permission for the trial to begin, which had been granted for three years, remained valid and the crops could be replanted without giving further notice. Environmental groups warn that local farms and nearby residents could be put at risk. Campaigners accused ministers of trying to slip it under the radar and warned that the trial could affect human health. Clare Oxborrow, food campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said an antibiotic resistant gene used in the potato could have potential health implications if it escaped. She was also concerned about pollen being blown into neighbouring fields.

Defra said the potatoes, which would not be used for human or animal consumption, would be grown in a safe environment with no risk of contamination. The potatoes would be grown next to plants that will later be destroyed and the whole area would be left fallow for some years after the trial. Fencing, CCTV cameras and guards will protect the crops, The Telegraph reports. Almost all of the 54 GM crop trials which have been conducted since 2000 have been targeted by opponents as well as vandalised.

The Telegraph