Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I know the witnesses cannot deal with policy, but this is quite telling. If something is harmful to the environment in Europe, it would also be harmful to the environment in the United States or Argentina, for example, but I accept that the officials cannot deal with that issue.

I want to move on to Teagasc now. Professor O'Mara has been unequivocal in stating his belief that this technology is a route that needs to be pursued. I am not sure if he had the opportunity to hear the earlier presentations. I asked previous witnesses about some of the concerns around GMO. It is not the case that some EU commissioners woke up one morning and decided that GMO technology would be banned. The ban came about because there was huge public demand for it, in line with the precautionary approach. I have mentioned some of the concerns that have been raised with us previously, including the potential effect and impact on biodiversity, on associated or neighbouring crops and on the wider environment, as has already been mentioned. Other concerns centre on the ownership of the technology and the seeds associated with it. Has Teagasc carried out any research into those concerns and is it satisfied that they can be addressed, as our previous guests indicated, through a regulatory approach?