Potato News from United Kingdom

Northern Ireland potato growers say a market glut has caused prices to crash and some banks to withdraw credit for the coming season.

Scottish seed producers will soon be able to view seed certification data in real time from 2012, thanks to the latest online roll out of Scotland’s certification scheme. At the event, Dr John Kerr of Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA...

Scottish potato growers had a difficult year in 2011 for several reasons, but one of the most significant was the cool, wet conditions, which were ideal for powdery scab to spread.

A new strain of potato blight, which could have reduced sensitivity to a popular fungicide, has been identified in the UK for the first time.

Yorkshire Wolds seed potato producer Andrew Manfield shared with Perth conference delegates some of the particular problems associated with growing potatoes in this part of the country, one particular problem being the lack of soil.

Fenmarc’s campaign for its exclusively grown variety Rudolph has been recognised by the Grower of the Year awards.

This year’s World Potato Congress, to be held in Edinburgh in May and organised by Potato Council, has attracted a remarkable line-up of international speakers including Dr Anton Haverkort of Netherlands-based Plant Research International.

Comber early potatoes have been granted protected geographical indication(PGI) status under European law.

Andrew Williams of root crop specialists Home Farm, Nacton, near Ipswich, reckons the business will be reducing its potato planted acreage this season by about 10 per cent.

British raw food brand Gourmet Raw will be launching a new addition to their range in mid January 2012. Their new raw crisps are a snack range, made from sprouted buckwheat, which is contains protein and fibre.

There’s been a lot of noise in the press recently about a large Canadian company claiming it’s going to ‘revolutionise’ the way we eat jacket potatoes by baking and freezing them - but, here’s a thought - a small British company, Bannisters’ Farm, has...

For the first time, leading potato supplier Greenvale AP is making a limited amount of its seed potato variety, the Vales Sovereign, available on the open market to Scottish potato farmers. 

Food producers can cut costs and boost environmental credentials by recycling food waste at a new anaerobic digestion plant in Wiltshire, UK

Scottish arable farmers who have up until now had a range of pesticides to deal with crop disease and pest problems now have greatly reduced resources as a result of European Union legislation.

Although other parts of the potato industry are in the doldrums, with lower returns than last year and much higher rejection percentages on account of the wet summer and lifting season, Scottish seed potato growers are busy exporting.

De schattingen voor de Britse aardappelproductie in het seizoen 2011/12 zijn naar beneden bijgesteld

The British potato industry is being encouraged to get behind two educational projects from Potato Council, to ensure that potatoes continue to feature in the daily lives of the nation. Grow Your Own Potatoes is now in its eighth year.

Children in the U.K. are finding vouchers for “Mudpuddle Farm” books in their Happy Meals next to the McNuggets and fries