?With GM potato trials being planted in the UK in two months, the GM food debate is moving forward, says BASF senior project manager Andy Beadle



BASF is preparing to conduct two trials of GM potatoes that are resistant to a devastating potato disease. They will be the first GM trials in the UK since 2003, and have revived the public debate on the future of GM.

According to a new report more than 102 million hectares of GM crops are planted globally in 22 countries - home to more than half the world's population. There is a real danger the UK will be left behind. We are told in the media that consumers don't want GM foods and won't buy them. But when consumers have been asked for their opinion, as a Which report in 2004 showed, a sizeable number of people said they would try GM products.

The GM potatoes we will be trialling will become available within the next few years. Within the next 10 years there will be even more GM crops grown globally, offering new and exciting benefits to farmers and consumers. BASF is working on traits such as the production of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids with consumer health benefits.

Our own blight-resistant potato has the potential to deliver real environmental benefits. As Ian Crute, director of Rothamsted Research said, resistance to blight disease would be a boon to growers of this crop worldwide, whether they produce the crop organically or conventionally. Being able to grow disease-free crops, as part of a pest management control programme, will reduce energy inputs and avoid wasteful losses.

Research is a key factor in all product development. Defra gave the go-ahead to our trials because it was satisfied there were no safety concerns. The trials will be a major step forward in assessing the potential benefits of GM crops, and will be assessed by various bodies, including the European Food Safety Authority. Commerical growing will only be permitted if they are considered to be as safe as any conventional potato.

Global demand for agricultural resources continues to increase sharply, driven by population and welfare growth, and a need for alternative energy supplies. All technologies and tools will need to be utilised, if we are to guarantee a steady and safe farming output.

UK policy makers, the food industry and consumers have a choice to make about advances in food technology and farming practices. Are we going to be left behind or are we willing to enter into a sensible debate about providing consumers with a choice between GM, conventional and organic food?

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