In the last five years DEFRA has issued three consents for GM crop trials as follows:
Consent ref. Applicant Crop Date of consent Release site 06/R42/01 BASF Plant Science GmbH Potato 1 December 2006 Girton, Cambs. 07/R42/01 BASF Plant Science GmbH Potato 14 May 2007 Trial did not proceed—no material grown 07/R31/01 University of Leeds Potato 9 May 2008 Bramham, Leeds
The trials by Leeds university formed part of a wider research project on the control of potato cyst nematodes, funded mainly by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, and with a contribution from DEFRA under a Government Partnership Award programme. DEFRA’s contribution to the overall project costs was £41,000 in 2005 and £18,000 in 2009. Specific cost figures just for the field trial component of the project are not readily available. The BASF trials were entirely funded by the company.