Confronting the challenges facing the British Potato Seed Industry

Confronting the challenges facing the British seed potato industry and planning a path to prosperity will be the focus of Potato Council’s Seed Industry Event which takes place on October 26, 2010, at Crieff Hydro, Crieff, near Perth in Scotland.

From enhancing storage efficiencies to tracking changes in consumer attitudes, to breeding technology, the factors that affect a seed grower’s bottom line have experienced a dramatic shift. The event is a valuable chance for the industry to come together, explore the challenges and discuss the solutions that will deliver a thriving future.

“We have enhanced the compact, one day format and the event is packed with keynote sessions and practical workshops in addition to offering great opportunities to renew acquaintances and make valuable new contacts,” notes Potato Council seed and export technical executive Sophie Lock.

The conference session starts with a keynote address from Potato Council chairman, Allan Stevenson. This will be followed by a discourse with Canadian Potato Committee chairman Keith Kuhl on plant health threats in Canada and lessons to be learned from the recent plant health crisis in Alberta that required all seed destined for export to be destroyed. Also of great interest will be the discussion led by Anton Haverkort from the Plant Research Institute in Wageningen in the Netherlands on expectations of genetics and breeding and how breeding might answer some of the current challenges to the industry.