1.Scientist in GM potato warning
2.Chip makers oppose GM potato trial
3.POTATO CROP TRIAL 'GM BY BACK DOOR'

EXTRACTS: "Sooner or later the same gene will get into our common potato." (item 1)

The Government's decision yesterday to allow trials of a new strain of genetically modified potato has been met with strong opposition by the potato industry and the country's largest maker of chips. (item 2)

"There are already techniques employed by organic farmers and growers to combat blight in potatoes, so you really have to question the motivation behind this decision." (item 3)
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1.Scientist in GM potato warning
Press Association, December 1 2006
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-6252288,00.html

A scientist whose controversial study first ignited fears over genetically modified food has warned the decision to approve trials of blight-resistant potatoes in the UK meant preventing cross-contamination was "almost impossible".

Dr Arpad Pusztai caused an academic uproar when he claimed in 1998 that rats fed on GM potatoes suffered organ damage.

The Hungarian-born nutritionist said he was opposed to the approved GM trials in Derbyshire and Cambridgeshire, which he described as an "extremely stupid move".

"If these potatoes are going to be grown on a large scale then it is almost impossible to avoid genetic contamination," he said.

"Sooner or later the same gene will get into our common potato. There is no demand for genetic modification in this country and it could be the death nail for the potato because it is not going to be bought by the general public."

He added that he felt the Government had approved the trials in order to change the public's negative attitude about genetic modification. "We are dealing with a very unstable genome which will almost certainly be producing some toxic effects and if they get into our human food chain it will cause a huge calamity," he said.

"I think the general public will have a great deal to say about this and I don't think the local farmers will be overjoyed."

Dr Pusztai, who eats only organic potatoes, said he felt the company planning to grow the potatoes saw Britain as a "soft touch" as the trials would not be allowed in many other EU countries. "If people agree that they don't want this, then it can be stopped," he said. "There are very good natural varieties of potatoes and I think doing this is just playing with fire."

Dr Pusztai said his research found GM food could weaken the immune system of rats, stunt their growth and damage their internal organs.

His study was discredited by the Royal Society and he later retired from his job at Aberdeen's Rowett Institute. [Ed - the retirement was forced and the RS didn't discredit the study - only themselves
http://www.lobbywatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=113 ]

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2.Chip makers oppose GM potato trial
By Charles Clover Environment Editor
The Daily Telegraph, 2 December 2006
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/12/02/nchips02.xml

[image caption: The British Potato Council says the public must be assured that potatoes and chips are GM free]

The Government's decision yesterday to allow trials of a new strain of genetically modified potato has been met with strong opposition by the potato industry and the country's largest maker of chips.

The British Potato Council said its refusal to endorse trials of a potato modified to be resistant to late blight, which caused the Irish potato famine of the 1840s, was based on consumers' mistrust of GM technology.

The council said it was "paramount" that public concerns over GM trials were addressed and fears about possible cross-contamination were allayed before the trials began.

The Government has given permission for five-acre plots of GM potatoes produced by the company BASF to be grown in Derbyshire and Cambridgeshire next year.

The conditions stipulate that the plots must be left fallow after the five-year trial so that overlooked tubers can be destroyed and that none of the potatoes harvested enters the food chain.

Helen Priestley, the BPC's chief executive, said: "While we welcome steps to further understanding of this technology, the public must be comfortable with whatever steps are taken to introduce it and we didn't feel the time was right.

"However, there are rigorous procedures in place to ensure that commercial crops are not contaminated with GM material and that no GM material enters the human food chain. The public must be left in no doubt that the procedures are effective, that they are maintained and that the trials process is open and transparent.

"It is crucial consumers understand that potatoes on sale through retail or food service outlets will continue to be GM-free."

Bill Bartlett, the corporate affairs director of McCain Foods (GB) which is the largest manufacturer of chips in Britain, said: "McCain Foods is disappointed with this decision at a time when consumer attitudes do not support GM foods."

Lord Melchett, the policy director of the Soil Association, said that the Government is "ignoring what consumers want to eat and their health and safety".

He said: "Even in America, McDonald's, McCain, Pringles and Burger King rejected GM potatoes years ago. The chances of anyone in the UK willingly buying GM potato crisps or chips are zero. This trial is a monumental waste of time and money."

The association claims that GM potatoes are one of the few crops where there is any scientific evidence of potential risks to human health, though the Government-sponsored research which found stomach lesions in rats fed on GM potatoes was widely criticised in the scientific community. Experts say the use of a natural resistance gene, from wild relatives of the potato in Mexico to give a commerc