AIn July 2018, the Government announced the prohibition/restriction of the commercial cultivation of genetically modified crops (GMO) in Ireland.
Then Minister for Climate Action and Environment Denis Naughten said it was a very significant development and that “it was critically important that Ireland takes whatever steps are necessary to maintain our GMO cultivation-free status, which is a key element of our international reputation as a green, sustainable food producer”.
This decision will not allow Irish farmers/consumers to obtain the benefits of innovative agricultural tools, including GM technology, to combat the challenges of climate change and food insecurity.
For centuries, farmers have used plant breeding technologies to gradually improve their crops
It is ironic and somewhat contradictory that Irish farmers rely heavily on imported GM crops for animal feed but this decision prevents Irish tillage farmers from growing these same crops.
Access to these technologies could be critical for the future of Irish agriculture and to their own farms.
For centuries, farmers have used plant breeding technologies to gradually improve their crops. Modern GM technology allows plant breeders to improve crops in a more precise and targeted way.
It allows plant breeders to speed up the breeding process and produce new plant varieties. This technology can specifically target resistance to plant pests, fungal diseases, tolerance to drought conditions and even enhanced nutritional qualities.
A global entity
GM technology has revolutionised plant production worldwide. In 2017, farmers planted 190m hectares of GM crops globally. This equates to an area 22 times bigger than Ireland.
However, EU member states have not embraced this technology, with the exception of Spain where farmers have been cultivating about 100,000ha/annum of Bt GM maize (tolerant to a pest called the European corn borer) for the past 20 years.
Conventional plant breeding has had great success but it also has limitations.
In the case of potato, it can take up to 15 years to breed a new variety – GM technology can reduce this to between three and five years. GMO technology speeds up the pace of plant breeding.
Clean food
The “clean green food” image of Ireland and use of GM crops are not necessarily contradictory.
This concept might be considerably overplayed by the Government decision to ban the cultivation of GM crops, considering Ireland’s real-world experience with food safety issues such as BSE, the pigmeat dioxin crisis and the horsemeat scandal.
Over 9,500 queries were received in 2017 and, of those, just 15 related to GM food labelling
Irish consumers are not concerned about the safety of GM, according to the Food Safety of Ireland (FSAI).
It receives very few complaints pertaining to GMO compared with real food risks such as food poisoning from Campylobacter bacteria, the most common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in Ireland.
Over 9,500 queries were received in 2017 and, of those, just 15 related to GM food labelling. This is not surprising as the risks from GMO crops to human health and the environment are vanishingly low.
In 2010, a review of a decade of research on GMOs was published which looked at their safety for human and animal health and for the environment.
This formed part of 25 years of GMO research funded by the EU taxpayers and costing €300m. The main conclusion was that GMO is not, per se, riskier than conventional plant breeding technologies.
This proves the concept of "a history of safe use" with GMO over the past 25 years.
Potential crops
In my opinion, there are a number of GM crops that might be pertinent for Irish agriculture, such as GM maize and GM ryegrass that are tolerant to drought.
Last summer, we had a dry summer with very little grass growth for nearly three to four months, especially in the south and east. It is possible that our changing climate will mean more of these types of summers so drought tolerant crops might be useful for Irish agriculture.
GM potatoes tolerant to the late blight might also be useful. In a 2012 publication, scientists documented a dramatic shift in the population of the potato late blight fungus (Phytophthora infestans) in northwest Europe, noting that an invasive and aggressive strain had emerged which rapidly displaced other genotypes. This could be adaptation of the pathogen to climate change.
One gene was taken from a wild potato called Solanum venturii and it was transferred (using GM technology) into a commercial variety called Désirée to confer late blight resistance
Scientists at Teagasc, Oak Park, have also recorded the emergence of highly aggressive blight strains over the past 10 years that are exhibiting levels of fungicide resistance.
The GM potato field trials carried out by Dr Ewen Mullins at Teagasc, Oak Park, over a number of seasons show it is possible to reduce fungicide inputs by 80% to 90% using a single source of genetic resistance in the GM variety.
One gene was taken from a wild potato called Solanum venturii and it was transferred (using GM technology) into a commercial variety called Désirée to confer late blight resistance.
Basically, breeders are using GM technology to accelerate the plant breeding process (from 15 to between three and five years) by taking a gene from a potato and transferring it directly to another potato – a process called cisgenesis.
Lack of real alternatives
Under Irish climatic conditions, spraying is a necessity at present but, if plant protection products are removed (which is happening under the EU Directive on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides), there has to be a viable alternative to the use of chemical sprays.
Based on Dr Mullins’ research, GM-bred potato varieties may provide that solution for Irish farmers.
This again is another example of sustainable agricultural production where farmers are less reliant on fungicides.
It can be argued that GM technology is more sustainable than the use of the Bordeaux mixture (copper sulphate and slaked lime) which was traditionally used to combat late blight on potatoes and this is still available for use by Irish potato farmers.
It should be noted that copper is a heavy metal and is known to be toxic to humans (when consumed in large amounts).
The continued depletion of the toolbox available to farmers to protect their crops is having, and will continue to have, significant consequences
This potential toxicity makes it somewhat surprising/astonishing that this “organic” product it is still approved for use as a fungicide in Ireland!
In a 2018 report entitled Challenges Facing Agriculture and the Plant Science Industry in the EU, the European Crop Protection Association, said: “The continued depletion of the toolbox available to farmers to protect their crops is having, and will continue to have, significant consequences. The current approach to innovation makes it a real possibility that Europe will have to rely on importing even more of its food and feed in the future. Modern crop protection products are essential to assure a high standard of food production. There is a real danger Europe will further disadvantage its food production sector, and lose out to other regions in the world.”
Think again
The Government should take cognisance of this report. Otherwise, Irish farmers could be at a competitive disadvantage in the future while the world’s major farm markets continue to gain access to new technologies in the production of food.
The challenges facing Irish farmers, with climate change pressures and the urgent need to protect biodiversity, are immense.
They need access to cutting-edge innovations such as GM tools.
We need to modify existing GM policy to allow innovation for the benefit of EU society and the environment
While we must adhere to strenuous EU regulations to protect public health and the environment, implementation of these regulations needs to be risk-proportionate, predictable, science-based and non-discriminatory.
We need to modify existing GM policy to allow innovation for the benefit of EU society and the environment.
The Government and the policymakers involved in GMO policy in Ireland should re-consider their current stance.
Dr Thomas McLoughlin worked as a research scientist with leading biotechnology companies/universities in the area of microbial ecology/genetics for 20 years and subsequently worked as a senior scientist for the EPA on the implementation of GMO regulations.
The cultivation of GM crops in Ireland has been officially banned since 2018. GM technologies now involve many precision tools that can much more precisely improve plant and animal genetic responses. Blight resistance and drought tolerance are but two useful characteristics available from the GM toolbox.
AIn July 2018, the Government announced the prohibition/restriction of the commercial cultivation of genetically modified crops (GMO) in Ireland.
Then Minister for Climate Action and Environment Denis Naughten said it was a very significant development and that “it was critically important that Ireland takes whatever steps are necessary to maintain our GMO cultivation-free status, which is a key element of our international reputation as a green, sustainable food producer”.
This decision will not allow Irish farmers/consumers to obtain the benefits of innovative agricultural tools, including GM technology, to combat the challenges of climate change and food insecurity.
For centuries, farmers have used plant breeding technologies to gradually improve their crops
It is ironic and somewhat contradictory that Irish farmers rely heavily on imported GM crops for animal feed but this decision prevents Irish tillage farmers from growing these same crops.
Access to these technologies could be critical for the future of Irish agriculture and to their own farms.
For centuries, farmers have used plant breeding technologies to gradually improve their crops. Modern GM technology allows plant breeders to improve crops in a more precise and targeted way.
It allows plant breeders to speed up the breeding process and produce new plant varieties. This technology can specifically target resistance to plant pests, fungal diseases, tolerance to drought conditions and even enhanced nutritional qualities.
A global entity
GM technology has revolutionised plant production worldwide. In 2017, farmers planted 190m hectares of GM crops globally. This equates to an area 22 times bigger than Ireland.
However, EU member states have not embraced this technology, with the exception of Spain where farmers have been cultivating about 100,000ha/annum of Bt GM maize (tolerant to a pest called the European corn borer) for the past 20 years.
Conventional plant breeding has had great success but it also has limitations.
In the case of potato, it can take up to 15 years to breed a new variety – GM technology can reduce this to between three and five years. GMO technology speeds up the pace of plant breeding.
Clean food
The “clean green food” image of Ireland and use of GM crops are not necessarily contradictory.
This concept might be considerably overplayed by the Government decision to ban the cultivation of GM crops, considering Ireland’s real-world experience with food safety issues such as BSE, the pigmeat dioxin crisis and the horsemeat scandal.
Over 9,500 queries were received in 2017 and, of those, just 15 related to GM food labelling
Irish consumers are not concerned about the safety of GM, according to the Food Safety of Ireland (FSAI).
It receives very few complaints pertaining to GMO compared with real food risks such as food poisoning from Campylobacter bacteria, the most common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in Ireland.
Over 9,500 queries were received in 2017 and, of those, just 15 related to GM food labelling. This is not surprising as the risks from GMO crops to human health and the environment are vanishingly low.
In 2010, a review of a decade of research on GMOs was published which looked at their safety for human and animal health and for the environment.
This formed part of 25 years of GMO research funded by the EU taxpayers and costing €300m. The main conclusion was that GMO is not, per se, riskier than conventional plant breeding technologies.
This proves the concept of "a history of safe use" with GMO over the past 25 years.
Potential crops
In my opinion, there are a number of GM crops that might be pertinent for Irish agriculture, such as GM maize and GM ryegrass that are tolerant to drought.
Last summer, we had a dry summer with very little grass growth for nearly three to four months, especially in the south and east. It is possible that our changing climate will mean more of these types of summers so drought tolerant crops might be useful for Irish agriculture.
GM potatoes tolerant to the late blight might also be useful. In a 2012 publication, scientists documented a dramatic shift in the population of the potato late blight fungus (Phytophthora infestans) in northwest Europe, noting that an invasive and aggressive strain had emerged which rapidly displaced other genotypes. This could be adaptation of the pathogen to climate change.
One gene was taken from a wild potato called Solanum venturii and it was transferred (using GM technology) into a commercial variety called Désirée to confer late blight resistance
Scientists at Teagasc, Oak Park, have also recorded the emergence of highly aggressive blight strains over the past 10 years that are exhibiting levels of fungicide resistance.
The GM potato field trials carried out by Dr Ewen Mullins at Teagasc, Oak Park, over a number of seasons show it is possible to reduce fungicide inputs by 80% to 90% using a single source of genetic resistance in the GM variety.
One gene was taken from a wild potato called Solanum venturii and it was transferred (using GM technology) into a commercial variety called Désirée to confer late blight resistance.
Basically, breeders are using GM technology to accelerate the plant breeding process (from 15 to between three and five years) by taking a gene from a potato and transferring it directly to another potato – a process called cisgenesis.
Lack of real alternatives
Under Irish climatic conditions, spraying is a necessity at present but, if plant protection products are removed (which is happening under the EU Directive on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides), there has to be a viable alternative to the use of chemical sprays.
Based on Dr Mullins’ research, GM-bred potato varieties may provide that solution for Irish farmers.
This again is another example of sustainable agricultural production where farmers are less reliant on fungicides.
It can be argued that GM technology is more sustainable than the use of the Bordeaux mixture (copper sulphate and slaked lime) which was traditionally used to combat late blight on potatoes and this is still available for use by Irish potato farmers.
It should be noted that copper is a heavy metal and is known to be toxic to humans (when consumed in large amounts).
The continued depletion of the toolbox available to farmers to protect their crops is having, and will continue to have, significant consequences
This potential toxicity makes it somewhat surprising/astonishing that this “organic” product it is still approved for use as a fungicide in Ireland!
In a 2018 report entitled Challenges Facing Agriculture and the Plant Science Industry in the EU, the European Crop Protection Association, said: “The continued depletion of the toolbox available to farmers to protect their crops is having, and will continue to have, significant consequences. The current approach to innovation makes it a real possibility that Europe will have to rely on importing even more of its food and feed in the future. Modern crop protection products are essential to assure a high standard of food production. There is a real danger Europe will further disadvantage its food production sector, and lose out to other regions in the world.”
Think again
The Government should take cognisance of this report. Otherwise, Irish farmers could be at a competitive disadvantage in the future while the world’s major farm markets continue to gain access to new technologies in the production of food.
The challenges facing Irish farmers, with climate change pressures and the urgent need to protect biodiversity, are immense.
They need access to cutting-edge innovations such as GM tools.
We need to modify existing GM policy to allow innovation for the benefit of EU society and the environment
While we must adhere to strenuous EU regulations to protect public health and the environment, implementation of these regulations needs to be risk-proportionate, predictable, science-based and non-discriminatory.
We need to modify existing GM policy to allow innovation for the benefit of EU society and the environment.
The Government and the policymakers involved in GMO policy in Ireland should re-consider their current stance.
Dr Thomas McLoughlin worked as a research scientist with leading biotechnology companies/universities in the area of microbial ecology/genetics for 20 years and subsequently worked as a senior scientist for the EPA on the implementation of GMO regulations.
The cultivation of GM crops in Ireland has been officially banned since 2018. GM technologies now involve many precision tools that can much more precisely improve plant and animal genetic responses. Blight resistance and drought tolerance are but two useful characteristics available from the GM toolbox. 
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