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The weather has not been kind to potato growers in the United Kingdom. AHDB potatoes offers some helpful tips and guidance to make it a successful potato growing season nevertheless.

United Kingdom potato trade saw strong performance from its processed potato sectors in the first seven months of the 2017/18 marketing season. Trade of frozen potato has seen strong growth both leaving and entering the UK, although imports still outweigh exports by ten-fold.

This year has seen the latest ever planting of early potatoes in Northern Ireland as farmers battle poor weather conditions, according to industry leaders.

Late Blight control strategies in the United Kingdom will have to change this season if potato growers are to combat the spread of a new aggressive, fungicide-insensitive/ resistant strain of the disease, leading agronomy firm Hutchinsons says.

Great Britain potato stock levels held by growers are estimated at 2.4Mt as at the end of January. This represents the largest end-January stocks figure since the stocks survey began in 2010.

Although PCN testing of soil for seed potato cultivation is typically strictly regulated, different procedures are in use for the testing of soil for ware potatoes - and which one is used has huge consequences for the reliability.

Tong Engineering offered the option of integrated optical sorting within its market leading grading machine, the Caretaker, back in 2016. This has proved to be a very welcome addition.

The potato growers supplying McDonald’s in the United Kingdom can get a free agronomy skills training to improve crop performance and quality with the launch of the MacFry Potato Academy.

The largest ever Food Processing, Marketing and Co-operation (FPMC) grant of £4 million has been awarded to potato processing firm Albert Bartlett. It will allow the company to diversify into the growing convenience and chilled potato market.

AHDB Potatoes announced earlier this month that GB potato stock levels for the end of November are estimated at 3.6M tonnes, the highest level for this point in the season since 2011/12.

Priory Vodka made from a small acreage of potato crop that is otherwise destined for McCain’s and McDonald’s fries won two prestigious Gold awards at the Global Spirits Masters in autumn 2017. Priory Vodka will go on sale shortly.

A research project aims to improve the accuracy of the ‘AHDB Potatoes potato cyst nematode (PCN) pallida calculator’ which is currently used as an educational forecasting tool for potato growers in the United Kingdom.

Fairfields Farm Crisps has agreed to acquire Ten Acre Crisps, in an ongoing concentration of smaller premium brands focused on high quality and free-from attributes in the UK snack market

Leading vegetable handling equipment manufacturer, Tong Engineering is pleased to announce the appointment of ScanStone potato systems as the company’s new approved dealer for Scotland.

In October chef Heston Blumenthal revealed his top tips for achieving roasties that are crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, every time. However, according to students from Edge Hotel School at the University of Essex, Blumenthal has been cutting his spuds all wrong.

Sales at potato firm Albert Bartlett have climbed 18 per cent to £146m, but operating profit was again impacted by price pressures in the supply chain.

Burt’s Potato Chips have announced the purchase of Leicester’s Savoury & Sweet popcorn manufacturer for an undisclosed sum.

Aviko Foodservice has announced the launched of their Crunch Fries in the United Kingdom. These new French Fries are perfect for home deliveries.