GB’s seed potato community will be coming together to keep up-to-date on plant health and variety breeding at this year’s Seed Industry Event at Crieff Hydro near Perth, Scotland on November 20.
Hosted by Potato Council, the event comprises a conference, workshops and the industry Gala Dinner. With plant health as the over-arching theme, this fast-moving, one-day programme will examine key issues for the seed industry, including on-going protection of GB’s high health seed status, variety innovation and development and delivering to specific markets.
With a line-up of industry experts, the event starts with a keynote address from Potato Council chairman Alan Stevenson, followed by plenaries on subjects such as variety breeding for specific markets and a focus on Dickeya Solani and the GB and overseas experience. Workshops follow lunch, examining current challenges and opportunities: plant health for market returns, seed storage and handling, the future of the Safe Haven certification scheme, production costs and seed certification.
Delegates will then reconvene for further plenaries on consumer attitudes to variety availability, examining how breeding and innovation can meet customer demands.
This year’s also sees a new feature at the seed event: the ‘Cool Farm Tool’, created by the University of Aberdeen in partnership with Unilever and the Sustainable Food Lab, where delegates can see how their farm and business can produce more efficiently.
The always-popular industry gala dinner will round off proceedings, where the prestigious British Potato Industry Award will be presented.
Potato Council head of seed and export Rob Burns says: “This year we will be highlighting British breeding expertise and how it needs to keep adapting to future market requirements. We will also be examining how to maintain our enviable high-health status and exploit it to the industry’s advantage.”
Source: Potato Council
