date:Jul 31, 2012
The plants will be modified to be resistant to Late blight - a fungal disease which can lead to the death of plant tissues.
Over the years, more aggressive strains of blight have evolved, forcing farmers to use powerful sprays to eliminate the fungus, and according to state agricultural research agency, Teagasc, the disease is estimated to cost farmers nearly 15m annually due to loss of crops.
The European Union (EU) has been trialling GM potato crops at several sites in UK, Belgium and the Neth