ACRE advice: variation for a trial of genetically modified potatoes (17/R29/01)
Published 5 December 2024
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Advice on a request to vary a consent for the deliberate release of a GMO for research and development purposes.
Applicant: The Sainsbury Laboratory
Application or request
The Sainsbury Laboratory requested a variation to a consent that they currently hold for a deliberate release field trial of genetically modified (GM) Potato. The changes that are being requested are an early termination of the trial with the consent holder proposing to relocate and deep bury the soil currently under post-trial monitoring conditions, thereby inactivating any remaining potato material.
Reference: 17/R29/01
Date: 15 March 2024
Advice of the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) to the Secretary of State under section 124 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990
ACRE considers that the precautions described within the proposed early termination plans are entirely adequate and can see no plausible pathway to harm. ACRE notes that the relocating and burial of the soil in an area within the same field as the trial site, further ensures no route for GM potato volunteers to enter the food and feed chain.
Comment
ACRE noted that burial of small potato tubers at a depth greater than 30 centimetres would prevent their germination; while 50 centimetres or greater prevented germination of larger tubers. (For information: The GM lines used in this trial are based on cultivar Maris Piper, which is described as producing medium-sized tubers). The proposed burial will ensure that any GM potato tubers present within the trial ground soil are at a minimum depth of 150 centimetres below the surface. Furthermore, post-trial monitoring during 2023, from March through to November, had not revealed any volunteers. Therefore, ACRE were content that the likelihood of volunteers was negligible, and that its previous advice that the risks to human health and the environment associated with the original deliberate release of this GMO was still applicable to the proposed onsite deep burial and was negligible.
The consent holder sets out the precautionary measures they plan to put in place during this process, including observing the excavation and movement of soil by tractor/trailer, along with that of the decontamination of this equipment afterwards. The GM Inspectorate have offered to perform this observation. ACRE discussed the consent holder’s intention to move the soil only a short distance and agreed that this reduces further any likelihood of these GMOs entering the food and feed chain compared to removal to a contracted deep burial site.