With a decision by the Maine Board of Pesticides Control, farmers in the state can now plant three varieties of genetically modified potatoes produced by J.R. Simplot Co., says the Bangor Daily News.
Simplot’s Russet Burbank, Ranger Russet, and Atlantic potatoes are engineered with genes from a wild potato plant to make them resistant to late blight, the disease that started the Irish Potato Famine and can still be found in fields today.
The company hopes that consumers will take more keenly to these GE potatoes, since they use genes from a potato, unlike Monsanto’s transgenic NewLeaf potato, which added Bt bacteria to the plant. Monsanto discontinued NewLeaf in 2001 because of low customer approval.
Still, some Maine farmers are concerned that a GMO potato of any kind will be bad for their business. “These GMO potatoes run the very strong risk of depressing demand for potatoes of all types, both organic and conventional,” said Jim Gerritsen of Wood Prairie Family Farm in Bridgewater, Maine. “What I worry about is that there will be a vague recollection that new potatoes will be genetically engineered.”