News on The Potato Supply Chain from United Kingdom

Every year, during the early summer about 100 trainee potato inspectors are to be found walking through numbered rows of plants in a large field on the outskirts of Edinburgh. At the end of their course at Gogarbank Farm outside the capital, the inspec...

East Anglian potato growers have a valuable chance to get a grip on rapidly escalating input costs, with an exciting presentation of the latest ideas and innovations in potato agronomy at the East Anglian Potato Event, taking place on 4 September at St...

Branston, the UK's leading supplier of potatoes, used its annual Summer Field Walk to alert growers to unsubstantiated claims surrounding the use of some biofumigation products. Speaking at the annual gathering of members of Branston's Lincolnshire Pro...

Comparison shopping by a United Kingdom newspaper showed that organic veggies cost 22 percent more in British supermarkets than those sold by box delivery schemes and local grocers. A large box of greens made up of fennel, chard leaves, runner beans, c...

CASH-strapped consumers face yet more soaring food prices because of plans by Brussels to ban commonly-used pesticides. Farmers' leaders in Scotland predict rises of up to 50% on some staple items such as cereals, potatoes and fruit at a time when foo...

The competition, organised by Branston, was part of the Celebration of Food and Farmers held recently at the Eden Project. Children were invited to suggest a name for a new potato variety based on a traditional Peruvian species. The new potato is the ...

Tesco has cut the prices of organic produce since demand has been slowing as a result of the credit crunch. In the last twelve weeks demand for organic fruit fell by 18 %, for organic salad by 3 % and for vegetables by 1 %. Demand for organic produce a...

Potato growers could benefit from a new fixed-price contract, index linked to production costs, launched by processor McCain. "British growers are supplying 100% of our potatoes now, so we need to secure supplies,"said the firm's Mark Walmsl...

Greenvale AP has strengthened its board with a number of new appointments. Brian Macdonald has become financial director, having notched up 25 years at Scottish and Newcastle plc, initially covering its UK trading and production businesses, then overs...

A happy-snacker was left star-struck when she discovered a Gary Lineker look-a-like in her crisp packet. Beth Benner was tucking into a packet of her favourite Ready Salted crisps when she pulled out what she thought was the spitting image of the footb...

Eco-friendly plans to generate power using waste from a crisp factory proved the real McCoy for Durham County councillors yesterday. Farmer Philip Johnson asked Durham County Council for permission to produce electricity – enough to heat 1,200 homes ...

An industry with the size and diversity of the British potato sector should be prepared to back an awards scheme that recognises those who have made a significant contribution to its development, says Nick Vermont, McCain chief executive officer for Gr...

The whole potato industry must work together to eliminate CIPCresidue anomalies or the sprout suppressant will be lost, visitors to the recent Potato Council storage day at G H Chennells Farms in Lincolnshire were told. New limits on both total CIPC ap...

The appointment of a new chairman to the Potato Council is an important step forward for the industry in these times of change. Allan Stevenson, who takes office from 21 July 2008, also becomes a main Board Director of Agriculture and Horticulture Deve...

As crop production costs spiral, serious savings can be made across a range of potato inputs if you manage and monitor them carefully.

A trial to develop a genetically modified potato that could save the UK potato industry £50million a year and benefit farmers worldwide has been destroyed by activists after just three weeks. The small-scale field trial, less than 0.1 hectare in siz...

In response to growing demand for residue-free potato storage techniques, biofresh - the country’s most advanced supplier of ethylene control systems, in association with Air Products -  the world’s largest producer of ethylene, have joined forces to ...

Workers at a potato factory found two hand grenades while they were clearing out machinery. Police were called to PAS Grantham Ltd at Easton, near Grantham, after workers discovered one explosive device.   Staff removed the grenade and placed it in a...