BASF has applied to the Department of Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) for a licence to conduct field trials in the UK of potato varieties that have been genetically modified to be resistant to the potentially devastating late blight potato fungus, Phytophthora infestans.
 
Commentating on the announcement, Dr Julian Little, a spokesman for the Agricultural Biotechnology Council (abc) said:  “We very much welcome this announcement. Carrying out field trials is a key stage in understanding how genetically modified crops work in real life conditions. GM crops were grown on over 200 million acres around the world last year in 21 different countries, including six in Europe. We believe that farmers in the UK should have the right to access this technology.”
 
abc is the umbrella group for the agricultural biotechnology industry, of which BASF, the company seeking a licence to carry out these field trials, is a member. Its goal is to provide information and education about the use of GM technology in the UK and around the world, based on respect for public interest, opinions and concerns.
 
 
abc is the umbrella group for the agricultural biotechnology industry. The companies involved include Bayer CropScience, BASF, Dow AgroSciences, DuPont, Monsanto and Syngenta.