News on Industry Associations from United Kingdom

Soldier, Atlantic rower and motivational speaker, Rory Mackenzie, strives for success and is constantly searching for new challenges. Ticket holders to the sell-out BP2013 potato industry dinner, will get the opportunity to hear his inspirational story.

In the United Kingdom, Members of Parliament (MPs) were treated to a day of potatoes, as Potato Council was sponsored to attend Parliament during Potato Week (7-13 October).

In the United Kingdom, a high profile advertising campaign has been launched to drive awareness and sales of named potato varieties.

More than 140 potato growers, advisors and agronomists met at Frederick Hiam Ltd, Tuddenham, Suffolk at the end of August, 2013, for Potato Council’s East of England Potato Day.

Growers, agronomists and technical specialists turned out in high numbers at Potatoes in Practice earlier this month on the James Hutton Institute’s Balruddery Farm, Invergowrie.

Importers and growers looking to buy high health, high quality seed are warmly invited to visit Potato Council’s stand at Potato Europe (Emmeloord, The Netherlands, September 11-12, 2013).

In the aftermath of last year’s difficult growing and harvesting season, almost one in ten of Britain’s potato growers decided to call it a day, but, according to Rob Clayton of the Potato Council, the 2013 acreage of potatoes in the UK has not fallen.

Furious potato growers are going head to head with supermarkets and restaurants in a campaign to reclaim the "British New Potato".

Potato Council’s summer ‘Many Faces of Potatoes’ campaign has been hailed a major success, following positive industry and consumer feedback.

The North-Western European Potato Growers (NEPG) has issued an updated estimate of planted area for the 2013 crop (at the start of July).

The Potato Council’s first estimate of total potato plantings for the 2013 crop year in Great Britain is 121,200 hectares.

Children across the United Kingdom have been harvesting new potato crops as part of the Potato Council’s primary school project, Grow Your Own Potatoes.

In the United Kingdom, the Potato Council is seeking to raise awareness for the new season crop, with a TV advertising burst to hit screens in July.

As Allan Stevenson steps down after five years as Chair of Potato Council and member of the AHDB Board, David Piccaver, a leafy salad producer from South Lincolnshire enthusiastically takes on this challenging and exciting role.

Following the 22nd annual Chip Week Potato Council can count national press coverage, industry-wide involvement and over 35,000 nominations in the ‘Choice Chip Awards’ as highlights of its success.

Potato Council has joined forces with popular chef James Martin once again to showcase the versatility and health benefits of potatoes, as part of its ‘Many Faces of Potatoes’ promotion.

This Potato Council report provides an overview and comparison of the costs of production of potatoes for processing in the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany.

Unfavourable weather conditions have led Britain's potato stocks to drop almost 20% year-on-year, according to the Potato Council – cautioning over setbacks already this year thanks to poor weather too.