Growers in England and Wales may be able to import Dutch seed potatoes directly

Growers of table potatoes in England and Wales may import seed potatoes directly from the Netherlands.

At the request of the Dutch Potato Organisation (NAO), the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) has investigated the possibilities for exporting Dutch seed potatoes to the United Kingdom (UK).

One of the options presented, direct import by growers in England and Wales without the local movement of seed potatoes, now appears to be possible.

Country document adjusted

NVWA bases this conclusion on information supplied by NAO and its members, says Jan Gottschall, seed potato secretary and policy specialist at NAO. Based on cases and questions asked, the authority has adjusted the country document  mid January 2022.

The document states that seed potatoes may be supplied to consumption potato growers who are themselves importers.

Direct import

The British Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) indicates that consumer growers may import seed potatoes directly from the Netherlands to England and Wales.

The consumer grower must be the importer and may not put the imported seed potatoes into circulation. In addition, a phytosanitary certificate is required for the import, which must among other things state that the seed potatoes are free from ring rot and brown rot, explains the NAO secretary.

Protected area

Within the protected area in Northern England, the direct import of seed potatoes is only possible if the area to be planted is smaller than 0.1 hectare, or if the seed potatoes are intended for planting for the cultivation of early potatoes.

The direct import option does not apply to Scotland either. There, growers may only plant seed potatoes that have been brought into circulation according to the rules of the Seed Potato (Scotland) Regulations 2015. With a direct import by the grower, this is not the case.

Equivalence required for normal export

For customary exports to the UK, DEFRA must recognise the country of origin (the Netherlands) as equivalent to the UK. To obtain equivalence recognition, the Netherlands must comply with the legislation of all three countries within the UK.

At the request of NAO, NWVA is therefore investigating the possibility of Dutch seed potatoes complying with the Seed Potato Regulations of England, Wales and Scotland.

To date there is no definite answer as to whether the Netherlands can comply. A Dutch request for this equivalence runs via Brussels.

Consequence of Brexit

The fact that EU seed potatoes cannot be exported to the UK, apart from the exemption option, is a consequence of the Brexit, with which the UK has become a Third Country. The European Commission takes the position that European legislation does not allow market access for seed potatoes from Third Countries including the UK.

In response, the UK closed its borders to seed potatoes from the EU as of 1 July 2021. Despite intensive lobbying by NAO and other organisations, the European Commission is not moving on this issue, says Gottschall.

Small possible opening

In an interview with Aardappelwereld magazine Ton van Arnhem, director of the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO), responsible within the NVWA for carrying out phytosanitary tasks aimed at preventing the introduction, establishment and spread of harmful plant diseases and pests, already said in December that he saw the equivalence request as a small possible opening to loosen the export to Great Britain.

Ton van Arnhem, Director of the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO):
 

"Through the preparation and submission of an equivalence request, it could be possible to export seed potatoes to the UK."

"To investigate whether this is possible, we are currently analysing the British phytosanitary legislation."

"We will then share our findings with LNV and the sector."

"After that, the Netherlands could hold bilateral consultations with the UK. I have no idea how long that will take and whether gaining market access will be successful."