News on The Potato Supply Chain from United Kingdom

In light of the new rules in the United Kingdom on the use of inhibited urea, announced on 22 March, farmers are being encouraged to check levels of efficiency when purchasing urea, to maximise their investment when complying to new regulations.

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.

With weed control a key challenge for farmers, and reduced sensitivity to some herbicides a continuing problem. New product trials by FMC have demonstrated that effective controls are on the horizon.

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.

Pioneering North West adoption programme supports digitalisation projects worth GBP 5m (USD 6m). A potato manufacturer has helped Made Smarter’s pioneering technology adoption programme reach its 250th investment milestone.

Tips to improve soil health from David Newton of Timac Agro for farmers in England to help them meet the new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) ‘arable soils’ standard.

The World Potato Congress presents a webinar with Dr. Alison Lees, Potato Pathologist with The James Hutton Institute, Dundee, UK on February 28, 2023 at 9.00am Eastern Standard Time (EST).

With the commissioning of the third Lan Handling dolly & crate loader, Cockerill's handling capacity increases to a total of up to 240 bags per minute, using these three production lines.

Farmers across Scotland are being urged to have their soils tested and analysed in the face of continuing high input prices and ahead of changes to Scottish agricultural support schemes.

The food manufacturer intends to expand its operations in the area, having agreed to purchase the 6.4-acre site off Thurcaston Road from the city council for more than GBP 3.5m (USD 4.2m).

Biostimulants can act as an insurance policy for growers this spring, especially as another wave of frosts threatens to knock crops back. So far, winter has been wet and except some sharp frosts, relatively mild – resulting in many autumn sown crops being further forward than usual.

Leading UK potato supplier Greenvale AP Ltd has partnered with Trinity AgTech to roll out Trinity’s natural capital navigator, Sandy, to farms across the country, supporting them in credibly and confidently analysing and reaching their environmental targets.

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.

Without phosphorus food cannot be produced, since all plants and animals need it to grow. Put simply: if there is no phosphorus, there is no life. As such, phosphorus-based fertilisers – it is the "P" in "NPK" fertiliser – have become critical to the global food system.

Potato industry challenges posed by PCN and blackleg were among the topics discussed at the recent Cambridge University Potato Growers’ Association (CUPGRA) annual conference.

Farmers have been left outraged as Sainsbury’s, among other UK supermarkets, discounted the price of potatoes in the run-up to Christmas to 'less than the cost of production'.

The 35th project to be completed by Haith for Greenvale AP delivered the perfect Christmas present. Commissioned in June 2022, two new Haith wash lines allowed Greenvale's Cambridgeshire facility to handle the busy festive period easily.

Frozen potato giant McCain is investing GBP 2.5 million in its site in Montrose, Scotland, to install a new optical sorting seed potato grading system.