News on Research from United Kingdom

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.

While the poor price of milk being paid to farmers by supermarkets has often hit the headlines, the same inequality in the supply chain also applied to potatoes, according to Allan Stevenson, chairman of the Potato Council.

British seed potatoes are grown in over 50 countries worldwide, with Egypt a long-time major export destination, accounting for around 40% of total seed exported. Even though GB seed export tonnage is still being calculated for the 2012/2013 season, of...

2012 was a challenging growing season, with exceptional weather conditions impacting on the GB crop’s size and quality. Shoppers have seen price rises in store and there have been many stories about the cost of food within the media.

In the United Kingdom, secondary school students are being given the chance to be a part of potato history and name a brand new variety.

Potato growers are invited to an event that will help improve their negotiation power. The first of its kind in the UK, the NFU summit will include a two-hour negotiation workshop on skills and techniques for dealing with contract negotiations.

A first for British exports in 2013 will be a joint stand from Potato Council and the Horticultural Development Company (HDC) at Fruit Logistica in Berlin in February next year.

Due to the importance of business information in an exceptional season AHDB/PCL has updated its estimates following the receipt of further Grower Panel yield forms, updated lifting data and additional intelligence.

UK potato growers are facing an uncertain future unless contract prices increase following a 25 per cent drop in production and an increase in costs of 30 per cent. The NFU says that with around 75 per cent of all potatoes in the UK grown on fixed pr...

In the United Kingdom the countdown to Chip Week has begun! Running from 18 to 24 February 2013, the annual campaign to promote chips (=french fries) is a fantastic opportunity for growers, merchants and everyone involved in supplying chips to boost bu...

In response to European concerns over high levels of the carcinogen acrylamide in processed foods, researchers are looking to reduce dietary levels of the chemical by developing a new variety of potato.

Potato seed supplies are unlikely to be interrupted this year despite the problematic conditions experienced by growers. That is according to Potato Council head of seed and export, Rob Burns.

In yesterday's Potato Weekly the Potato Council describes the lifting procgress of the 2012 potato crop: the potato harvest in the United Kingdom is still three weeks behind last season.

“The combination of low yielding potato crops, increased crop spraying costs and increased wastage from problems such as greening, soft rots and growth cracks has massively increased the average cost of producing a tonne of potatoes in 2012 to over £20...

The Potato Council Grower Panel Lifting Survey estimates that 39,000ha (32% of the total crop and just under 7,000ha greater than last week's estimate) was cleared to Friday 28 September, with the GB harvest running approximately three weeks behind las...

The UK seed potato industry is on a high as Potato Council has announced another record year for seed exports, with this year’s figures surpassing 103,000 tonnes. “This year, despite the testing conditions experienced by growers, we have achieved ano...

Researchers led by Professor Bruce Fitt, now at the University of Hertfordshire, have used modern DNA techniques on late nineteenth-century potatoes to show how the potato blight may have survived between cropping seasons after the Irish potato famine ...

The days of a few big varieties dominating the potato market are over, with breeding programmes becoming more focused on delivering sustainable varieties for specific markets.