Could genetically modified potatoes eradicate blight?

Scientists have developed a genetically modified potato they say could overcome the problem of blight.

The fungal infection caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s and costs UK farmers £60m each year to control.

Lord Haskin, a trustee at Rothamsted Research, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that these new potatoes will make a "massive difference to cost and reliability".

Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers Union, added that it is now necessary to persuade politicians that their stand on genetically modified crops is no longer "justified".

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Monday 17 February.