News on Potato Varieties and Seed from United Kingdom

They’re one of the UK’s most loved staples, providing around half of our carbohydrate intake as a nation and supporting over 20,000 farm, transport and manufacturing jobs.

Scottish seed potato exports amounted to over 92,000 tonnes in 2023/24. The largest market is Egypt with 60% of exports, followed by Morocco with 10%. The remainder goes to a further 26 countries with volumes varying from thousands of tonnes to a few hundred. 

Leading potato supplier Branston is once again encouraging schools to sign up for the Grow Your Own Potatoes programme this year, as one of the sponsors of the primary school-based farm-to-fork initiative.

Meeting the challenges will be the focus of the 26th annual gathering in Dundee of the country’s leading potato producers and the companies that support them.

Potato Days UK, held in early September at Dyson farming’s Nocton Farm in Lincolnshire, ended on a high note, meeting visitor and exhibitor expectations.

On Wednesday, 4 September, at Nocton, Lincolnshire, the new Potato Days UK will be kicking off, offering a full two-day programme of exhibition, trial plots, professional programme, and live machinery demonstrations. Visitors enter for free on both days, 4 and 5 September, with prior registration needed.

Branston, one of the UK’s leading potato suppliers, has appointed a new general manager at its Lincoln site as part of its ambitious growth plans.

This year’s Hutchinsons Potato Demonstration Day, held at Worth Farms, Holbeach, Lincolnshire, focussed on potential solutions to address some of the key challenges faced by UK potato growers.

One of the UK's top potato suppliers is looking for alternatives to the popular Maris Piper due to rising costs and unreliable crops during extreme weather.

Luonnosta Finland Oy and Phil Rayner announced the establishment of Luonnosta UK Ltd. Luonnosta’s strategy for several years has been to develop international business and strengthen networks worldwide.

Gordon MP Richard Thomson has welcomed confirmation from DEFRA that exports of seed potatoes from Scotland to Northern Ireland can restart from September 30, but has reacted with disbelief that the UK Government hasn’t raised the issue of exports to the EU since March.

The UK potato sector has been going through a better spell this year, but it did take a long time for the potato shortage to feed back to growers as there was still crop from the previous year on the market and the prices didn’t increase until around mid-May.

A new predictive method has shown a way to better select parents for new potato varieties, offering a blueprint for better potatoes and a way to speed up the production of higher yield varieties.

HZPC UK, a member of the Royal HZPC Group, a leader in potato varieties and seed production for the entire potato industry in the UK, announced the acquisition of TLC Potatoes, one of Scotland's leading minituber producers.

Defra and UKRI, as part of the Farming Innovation Programme, recently announced funding for 'Potato-LITE' – a multimillion pound project over four years

Gordon MP Richard Thomson has been advised by DEFRA that new requirements which will allow quality Scottish seed potatoes back into their Northern Irish markets are expected to be in place for autumn this year.

Launched in 2017, the potato variety Kingsman has developed quickly in popularity to become Scotland-based potato breeder Cygnet PB Ltd.’s first globally successful variety.

BP (British Potato), the key calendar date for all those operating in or supplying to the British potato industry, will have a new owner/organiser for its next event in November 2023.