UK: GM potato field trials get the go-ahead

Defra has given the green light for a series of GM potato field trials by the Sainsbury Laboratory in Norfolk. The laboratory will conduct field trials of GM potato crops on a designated trial site at the Norwich Research Park between 2016 and 2019. The trials are part of a 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 with additional funding from industry partners BioPotatoes (UK) and Simplot (US). Jonathan Jones of the Sainsbury Laboratory said: “I am delighted that we have approval for the field trials necessary to test our potato plants in standard field conditions. “We will spend the rest of this year making sure we can get the desired traits into Maris Piper plants and plan to conduct field trials from next year onwards.” More