Farmers oppose GM
potatoes
Source: The
September 18, 2008
CheckBiotech
The proposed commercial release of a genetically modified
(GM) spud in
Potato SA, which
represents potato farmers, has written to the department of agriculture saying
the potential costs, particularly of consumer backlash and possible loss of
exports, outweigh the potential benefits.
This is the first time organised
agriculture has opposed the introduction of a GM crop in
The submission is in response to a permit application by the
Agricultural Research Council (ARC), which has been working with
Ben Pieterse, research manager at
Potato SA, said tuber moth was not a major problem in
"The benefit is far less than the potential damage to
the industry. We won't save that much on pesticide as we will still have to
spray for other pests.
"There is no mandatory labelling
for GM products, and no testing or tracing procedure, so how do you keep the GM
potatoes separate?"
Pieterse said this was important
for export markets and farmers who supplied major food companies that would not
take GM crops.
Diale Mokgojwa,
who manages Potato SA's emerging and small farmers' programme, says this sector also opposes the commercial
release of GM potatoes.
The GM potato is the Spunta
variety, which is not suitable for processing, so the big food chains would not
use it anyway.
The plan is to transfer the GM technology to other varieties
of potato in time.
Owen Porteus, managing director of
McCain Foods, the biggest producer of frozen potato products globally, said all
the company's products were GM-free.
"We're very much driven by consumer needs and they
don't want GM."
Kobie de Ronde,
the ARC scientist who heads the GM potato project, said much of the resistance
to GM was because of lack of understanding. All GM crops underwent a full
safety assessment before being approved for production.
ARC's application for commercial
release contained a "full set of environmental, food and feed safety
data" that indicated GM potatoes were as safe to grow and eat as
conventional spuds.
"This is not an application for a full commercial
permit so that potatoes will be on the market tomorrow. We'd still have to
plant them in specific areas so we can evaluate certain questions," De Ronde said.
She agreed GM labelling needed to
be addressed. ARC was discussing this with the department of health.
Source: The
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