Potato News from United Kingdom

The Scottish seed potato industry has harnessed willing buyers in Europe to support their efforts to get the European Commission to re-think its current ban on the importation of UK seed stocks – yet the chances of success remain 50/50.

AHDB is launching a new marketing campaign this February, with the amazing jacket potato (baked potato) at its heart.

Grower held potato stocks in Great Britain, as at the end of November 2020, are estimated to total 3.27Mt. This is up 12.5% (363Kt) from 2019 and 4.7% (147Kt) to the 5-year average (2015-2019).

The Grow Your Own Potatoes (GYOP) Programme will go ahead as planned in 2021 with the support of the potato industry.

Albert Bartlett, one of Scotland’s best-known potato companies, enjoyed a boost in sales and profits last year.

Tong Engineering is delighted to announce the go-ahead for construction of the second phase development at its new manufacturing facility in Spilsby.

In one year, a Scottish potato company removed almost 27 tons of plastic from its packaging.

Laura Claire Bounds recieves an MBE in recognition of her work done through the firm she owns, Kent Crisps of Bridge near Canterbury.

The Scottish Government has said the seed potato industry is facing disaster through the Brexit deal. Exports of seed potatoes - a vital Scottish export - will not be part of a trade deal between the UK and EU

The GB potato industry accounts for over 117.46Kha of planted area this year, and is represented by 1,611 growers in 2020. Growers have faced difficult seasons of late.

The innovative features found in the latest version of Haith's class-leading root vegetable polisher are proving popular with growers and packers across the world.

NDC Technologies, a global leader in on-line and at-line process measurement and control solutions, introduces the next-generation Series 9 sensor suitable to measure

Two of the newest machines within Tong Engineering’s wide range of vegetable handling equipment are proving invaluable in transforming post-harvest operations for Hampshire-based potato grower, Whitewater Potatoes.

Pepsico UK has joined forces with British clean-tech firm CCm Technologies to reduce their carbon footprint by turning their potato waste into fertiliser.

A new marketing campaign to promote the benefits of the baked potato in the United Kindom by the AHDB will use in-depth consumer analysis to pick the right spud selling point for each segment of the market.

Lamb Weston, supported by Art of the Possible Agency and WAA, has won a 2020 B2B Marketing Award last week, taking Gold in the Best Product Launch Campaign and the highly coveted Grand Prix: Campaign of the Year for the launch of its innovative Dukes of Chippingdom in February.

The total harvest of British potatoes this year will be 5.3m tonnes according to provisional estimates – up two point eight per cent (2.8%) on last year’s figure but just below the five-year average of 5.4m tonnes.

UK potato packing business Branston has submitted plans for a new facility.