On the 26th July 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has given consent to AMIGA project partner Teagasc to carry out field trials on a genetically modified (GM) potato with improved resistance to late potato blight. On February 28th Teagasc applied to the EPA for a license as part of the research activities developed in the framework of the European funded project AMIGA “Assessing and Monitoring the Impacts of Genetically modified plants on Agro-ecosystems”.
The approval comes after a detailed examination and assessment by the EPA and has been given under strict conditions. Extensive consultations with all the related state agencies and government departments have been carried out before submitting the current decision. The duration of the license is for four years, from 2012 to 2016, with post-trial monitoring continuing until 2020.
Teagasc will now start their research activities in the framework of the AMIGA project with the responsibility of submitting reports to the EPA every two months and a final report every year, in order to inform the Irish authority about the trials during the growing seasons.
More information can be found on the EPA website, as well as on the Teagasc and AMIGA project website.