Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 September 2012
351. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine if he will confirm who owns the intellectual property or patent of the genetically modified potatoes which Teagasc is field trialling; if he will clarify if Teagasc had any role in the development of this potato; if so, if it retains any share in the patent or intellectual property relating to it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40485/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraTeagasc were recently awarded a licence by the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out field research on a GM potato designed to resist potato blight disease. The field study is part of a publicly funded EU research project being carried out by a consortium of 22 partners representing 15 EU Member States.
The GM potato variety which Teagasc are researching was generated by scientists in Wageningen University, The Netherlands, and has been made available to Teagasc via a standard material transfer agreement. The field study is to assess the environmental impact of cultivation of the blight resistant potato on the Irish eco-system compared to that of conventional potatoes. Teagasc are not testing the commercial viability of GM potatoes and the biotech industry has no association with this public-funded research project.
