The US company Monsanto has chosen Ireland for the world launch of its latest product: a fungicide for use against a previously untreatable wheat disease. It was the culmination of 15 years' research at a cost of $150 million.
Agricultural business interests and journalists from abroad were in Dublin yesterday for the introduction of Latitude, a chemical that will be available to treat "Take-all", a root disease that cuts wheat yields by 5 per cent on average in Europe (to a higher extent in Ireland). The Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food, Mr Ned O'Keeffe, welcomed the product as "a very important development for the economics of Irish wheat growing". Take-all is the most damaging root disease of wheat throughout the world.
Teagasc research shows Irish grain yield losses of up 50 per cent translating into financial losses of between £3 and £5 million annually.
Monsanto picked Ireland for the event as much of the research and field trials for the fungicide were carried out here given the disease is so prevalent in the Republic.
