Republika TV and Gazeta Polska reported that it has come to light that the Potato Gene Bank in Bonin, a vital institution for Poland’s food security, has been contaminated twice by a bacterial infection within just four months. This unprecedented incident, the first in the facility’s 40-year history, has raised serious concerns about the state of biosecurity in Poland and the management of its agricultural research institutes.
Experts are now calling for immediate dismissals within the Institute of Plant Breeding and Acclimatization (IHAR), which oversees the gene bank, and demanding thorough investigations by the Ministry of Agriculture and the country’s special services. The Plant Health and Seed Inspection Service, which failed to notify the Prosecutor’s Office or the Internal Security Agency (ABW) despite not identifying the infection’s source, is also under scrutiny.
Further, the Military Counterintelligence Service is being urged to investigate, given the potato’s essential role in the Polish army’s food supply. Western nations treat gene banks as national treasures, often storing genetic material in facilities fortified to withstand nuclear attacks. Yet in Poland, this invaluable resource was infected, and the matter seemingly dismissed.
The mishandling of this crisis raises urgent questions about the protection of Poland’s agricultural assets and demands a swift, comprehensive response before any further damage is done.