Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

Responsibility for matters relating to genetically modified organisms is spread across a number of Departments, as Senator Ó Clochartaigh has pointed out. The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government has responsibility for policy matters in relation to the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms into the environment and the contained use of GMOs. The Department of Health has responsibility for ensuring the safety of genetically modified food and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is responsible for regulating the seed of certain species for marketing and cultivation, regulating animal feed that contains or is derived from authorised GM crops, developing a national strategy to ensure the coexistence of authorised GM crops with other crops and authorisation and control of marketing of pesticides for use on crops, including GM crops. Our legislation takes account of the common EU framework for assessment and control of GMOs, by which Ireland in common with all EU member states is bound. EU legislation on GMOs has been in place since the early 1990s. The deliberate release of GMOs is subject to the requirements of EU Directive 2001/18/EC. Under this directive, a community authorisation procedure is in place enabling the competent authority of each member state to contribute to the authorisation process. The Environmental Protection Agency is Ireland's competent authority in this respect. No cultivation of genetically modified crops, either commercially or for trial purposes, takes place in Ireland. Across the EU, only a small number of GMOs are authorised for cultivation. These include two types of genetically modified maize, known as MON810 and T25. A potato that is genetically modified for the production of starch was approved for cultivation in 2010, predominantly for use in the Nordic paper industries.

Members of the House may be aware that Teagasc recently sought a licence from the Environmental Protection Agency to undertake a series of field trial studies involving genetically modified potatoes. The potatoes in question, which are not approved for general cultivation in the EU, are resistant to potato late blight disease. The intention of the trial is to determine the potential impact of this technology on Irish ecosystems. The application will be subject to the terms of the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations 2003. In accordance with these regulations, any entity that wishes to carry out a field trial or planting of a GMO crop must seek approval from the Environmental Protection Agency, as the competent authority under the regulations. Any future applications to develop or plant genetically modified crops will be assessed by the agency on a case-by-case basis under the requirements of the governing EU and national legislation. The determination of the licence application is a matter solely for the agency. Neither I nor my Department has any role in the matter. Indeed, we are precluded from involving ourselves in such applications.