Should Ireland welcome gentically modified food?

Sir, – It is regrettable that you chose to run a one-sided article by Stella Coffey on the proposed GM (genetically modified) trials by Teagasc (Opinion, March 26th). It should be pointed out that gene transfer by agrobacterium has been happening for centuries if not longer. It was well documented but not understood. It must therefore be accepted as a naturally occurring event. An understanding and exploitation of the event is only some 30 years old.
The exploitation of this phenomenon has led to the production of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) although some more sophisticated processes have sprung from this natural phenomenon. It should be said in favour of GMOs that millions in the third world have been spared blindness thanks to the GMO Golden Rice. The development of high Lysine Maize has made survival on a staple diet of maize possible. I owe my well being at this advanced age to insulin produced by GMO as do millions in the western world. The majority of cheeses produced in Ireland use Rennet produced by GMOs. It would seem, therefore, that GMOs are not intrinsically bad.
In respect of the proposed trial by Teagasc, Ms Coffey would seem to have little knowledge of the sexual life of the potato or of the blight organism. The chances of gene transfer from potato giving rise to any super organism are beyond my comprehension and if she can offer a mechanism for such an event I am all ears. Over 100 million have been consuming the extensively grown GMO plants and many of our farm animals have been doing likewise. The absence of her threatening forecasts is striking. Perhaps the American consumption of GMOs has led to behavioural problems that gave rise to the war in Afghanistan. Such a claim would not be more outlandish than some of the claims made by the Apostles of Humus in regard to GMOs.
Which would the Irish people prefer: A potato with an extra protein which would be digested normally the same as any other protein, or a potato that came from plants treated with heavy, nay, even toxic, levels of copper applied to prevent blight? Inadequate phytosanitary measures have led to the decline of the once thriving seed potato industry in Ireland. To espouse slack preventative regimes that allow the rapidly evolving pathogens to outpace disease prevention seems a very unwise choice.
Simply look at the superbug situation in our hospitals.
A salient epidemiological feature of much of our green organic growing of potatoes is that, due to inadequate use of insecticides, the growers provide and maintain a reservoir of plant viruses. They also provide them free of charge to hapless commercial growers.
The same applies to a certain extent with blight. Crops such as those proposed for trial by Teagasc may in the long term benefit both organic and conventional growers. There is nothing to prevent GMO crops being grown under an organic regime.
I believe these trials should be approved and I hope that if they are, the crops will not be destroyed by Green Luddites. – Yours, etc,
MATTHEW A HARMEY, Emeritus Professor of Plant Molecular Biology, UCD, Pleasants Street, Dublin 8