The Sainsbury Laborator receives DEFRA approval for GM potato field trials

Date:05-12-2017

DEFRA have approved The Sainsbury Laboratory’s application to conduct field trials of GM potato crops on a designated trial site at the Norwich Research Park between 2017 and 2021.

The field trials are part of TSL’s Potato Partnership Project to develop a Maris Piper potato that is blight and nematode resistant, bruises less and produces less acrylamide when cooked at high temperatures. The project is majority funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) with additional funding from industry partners BioPotatoes (UK) and Simplot (US).

Welcoming the decision Professor Jonathan Jones said:

“I am delighted that we have approval for the field trials necessary to test our potato plants in standard field conditions. We anticipate that the combination of resistance genes we will test this time will be even more difficult for late blight to overcome than the single gene we previously field tested, but the proof of the pudding is in the planting”

For further information about the project go to: http://www.tsl.ac.uk/news/new-potato-at-the-sainsbury-laboratory/

Details of DEFRA’s decision are available on:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/genetically-modified-organisms-sainsbury-laboratory-17r2901

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Now you have approval for the trials when will they begin?

We are currently testing the plants in the lab and in glasshouse conditions. This will allow us to select those that contain the desired traits and are suitable to perform field trials. We hope to start the field tests in the summer of 2017.

What genes are being tested in the field trial and what do you want to find out?

The goal of this trial is to test late blight resistance genes, individually or combined as a ‘gene stack’. We hope to determine whether these genes provide resistance without a reliance on agricultural inputs, in open-air conditions. As a control for our experiments, Maris Piper wild-type plants and plants carrying resistance genes against potato cyst nematodes will also be included in the trial.

Where will the field trial be held?

The field trial will take place on a relatively small area of land (no larger than 1000 square metres), located at the Norwich Research Park.

How long will the trial go on for?

Approval has been granted for field trials to take place between 2017 and 2021. Trials will be performed between May and November.

Why do you have to apply for approval from DEFRA?

Approval is a legal requirement. DEFRA has created the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) to ensure each trial is safe and will not cause environmental damage. ACRE analyses the data provided and assess possible risks of the trial. It gives consent if it considers the trial is safe. The committee also gives advice and recommendations on how things should be done if the consent is granted. Finally, it checks that we comply with their requirements in every step of the process, before, during and after the trial.

Is the field trial and the research undertaken publicly funded?

Yes. The trial is testing work from a long-standing publicly funded Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) programme of scientific research to study new potato late blight resistance genes.

What steps have you taken to contain the GM plants and prevent them from mixing with conventional crops in the area?

An isolation distance of 20 m to other potato varieties will be observed and a 3-metre high fence will decrease the chance that larger animals will be in contact with the plants.

The field trial site will be visited regularly by trained laboratory staff to monitor the trial and to prevent any adverse environmental effects or adverse effects to human health. Emergency plans are in place should the need arise to terminate the trial at any point.

What do you do with the plants after you have noted the results of your trial?

At the end of each season, all harvested material (plant tops and tubers) will be placed in sealed bags or containers and removed from site to an authorised waste disposal facility. After each season during the trial period and following the end of the trial, the plot will be left fallow and monitored for volunteer plants and groundkeepers. Any plants identified will be immediately destroyed.