UK: GMO potato approved for field trials

The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norfolk has been given the green light by Defra to conduct a series of GM potato field trials. 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. 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. (Source: geneticliteracyproject.org)