Potato News from Europe

El mercado europeo de la patata atraviesa una grave crisis por la sobreoferta, la caída de precios y la presión de importaciones extracomunitarias que compiten en condiciones regulatorias desiguales.

Mientras Bruselas destaca los beneficios comerciales y la reducción de aranceles para exportaciones agroalimentarias, agricultores y ganaderos anuncian movilizaciones y bloqueos ante el riesgo que el pacto supone para sus explotaciones.

Jason O’Leary, a potato grower from Blackwater, Co. Wexford, has been elected Chair of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) Potato Committee, which represents potato growers within Ireland’s largest farming organisation.

Germany’s potato industry calls for urgent research and coordinated measures against the spreading reed glasswinged leafhopper to protect cultivation, jobs, and regional economic strength.

Samuel Schär assumed office as CEO of Bühler Group on January 1, 2026, succeeding Stefan Scheiber. His appointment ensures continuity and stability as Bühler advances sustainable solutions for the food, feed, and mobility industries worldwide.

Scientists decoded a haplotype-resolved potato genome and GWAS of 141 accessions, identifying StTST2, a tonoplast sugar transporter. StTST2 boosts photosynthesis, sugar accumulation, source–sink transport, and tuber yield via interaction with SUT2.

DLG Benelux has officially changed its name to DLG Markets Benelux, effective immediately. The rebranding aligns with DLG International’s transition to DLG Markets and reinforces the organization’s focus on serving global and regional agri-food markets.1

Verbruggen Palletizing Solutions is a Netherlands-based supplier of automated palletizing solutions, serving food, agri-food, and industrial sectors with customized end-of-line systems.

Flo-Mech Ltd has announced that it officially became 100% employee-owned on 18 November 2025, following the transfer of all shares by the Elderkin family and other shareholders into the Flo-Mech Employee Ownership Trust.

Fruit Logistica 2026 (4–6 Feb, Berlin) brings the global fresh fruit industry together with six expert stages, 200 speakers and multilingual talks, covering markets, farming, technology, logistics and future innovation.

Las tendencias alimenticias y los hábitos de consumo se transforman en europa y el mundo, y España no es la excepción. Cada vez se consume menos patata fresca.

Urschel will expand its KRONEN portfolio to Italy and more Asian markets from Jan 1, 2026. Italy and Asia join the US, Mexico, Pakistan and China in offering KRONEN systems alongside Urschel cutting machinery.

Los agricultores alemanes lograron una cosecha de patatas excepcionalmente alta —con rendimientos un 20% superiores y más superficie cultivada— pero el fuerte excedente hundió los precios hasta un 60% y generó un mercado exportador muy competitivo, por lo que se considera necesaria una reducción del área de cultivo para equilibrar la oferta.

Royal Cosun advances sustainability through regional and national deals. Limburg sites cut 30,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually, while a €73 (USD 85.6m) state agreement delivers a 167 kt CO₂ reduction by 2030, plus major nitrogen and ammonia cuts.

La UE no logró firmar el acuerdo con Mercosur por falta de consenso, mientras que el comercio hortofrutícola muestra un fuerte desequilibrio para España, con exportaciones en caída y unas importaciones muy superiores y en aumento.

La medida, que pretende redirigir fondos para inversiones en defensa y seguridad, supone un recorte de 900 millones de euros solamente para el campo español.

Agricultores y ganaderos de Castilla y León, junto a miles de productores europeos, protestarán en Bruselas para exigir un presupuesto agrícola justo y evitar los fuertes recortes propuestos para la PAC 2028–2034, que consideran una amenaza para el campo y para los consumidores.

Troostwijk Auctions launches six online auctions (18 Dec–15 Jan) to sell the full industrial assets of bankrupt Dutch potato processor CêlaVíta, offering high-quality potato processing, packaging and labelling machinery from leading brands.