News on The Potato Supply Chain from United Kingdom

Cuban visitors were given a focused tour encompassing Scottish Government’s SASA’s plant health facilities, a seed potato micro-propagation facility, and visited a leading Scottish seed grower and exporter.

William Chase, founder of Chase Distillery, will double production of premium spirits to 500,000 bottles this year after a bumper potato harvest.<

The dates have been set for the famous UK Potato Week 2014; running from 6-12 October the campaign will celebrate the humble potato and encourage mums to ‘trade-up’ from generic whites to named varieties.

In 2013 Norton Farm Potatoes invested in a grading line designed and manufactured by Tong Peal. Therefore, Tong Peal were the first port of call when increased throughput meant they needed to add to their machinery.

Tesco Northern Ireland’s commercial manager Cliff Kells has confirmed that sales of ‘Comber’ potatoes more than doubled, year-on-year, in local Tesco outlets during the months of July and August.

As Potato Council and the GB seed potato sector prepare for next months’ Potato Europe event in Germany, recent export statistics confirm that GB seed potatoes continue to be in demand around the world, with the 2013/14 figures revealing a new seed exports record from Britain.

The UK’s largest grower and supplier of potatoes, with a site at Burrelton, attended Scotland’s second largest agricultural show for the first time in order to promote its GreenVale potato brand. The company not only had an exhibition stand but were sponsoring the cookery demonstration given by Lady Clare MacDonald and supplied her with GreenVale potatoes to use in her recipes

Aughton potato grower Andrew Webster’s desire to try the science in Potato Council-funded trials to increase productivity at his own farm is to be opened up to other growers, Thursday 11 September.

Tong Peal has taken screen grading technology to the next level with the launch of a new option on all models of its market leading EasyGrade screen grading modules, designed to increase efficiency and minimise downtime for farms and pack houses.

Administrators at O'Hara & Co have managed to tie up a pre-pack deal for Holme Farm Produce safeguarding jobs and the future of the business.

Experts from the UK and India are working together to identify and develop novel environmentally-sustainable strategies to control plant pests, known as plant-parasitic nematodes to ensure global food production and security.

Potato Council has been working hard to raise the profile of potatoes amongst Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), promoting their health and sustainability credentials and creating awareness of the significant contribution they make to the Scottish economy.

Greenvale, the UK’s leading potato supplier, has been helping schools around Perth and Kinross to dig deep in a bid to educate them about the origins of the food they eat.

Cheshire potato growers gathered at Aston Grange Farm near Runcorn, at the end of June 2014, to discuss the opportunities for the local crop at Potato Council’s Cheshire Potato event.

An international team of experts led by Newcastle University has shown that organic crops are up to 60% higher in a number of key antioxidants than conventionally-grown ones.

Potato Council’s One Voice campaign is fast gaining momentum, with people from all sectors of industry getting involved and doing whatever they can to help spread positive messages about potatoes.

The West Midlands Potato Day attracted a good crowd of industry visitors on 19 June when potato grower Jonathan Bubb of J.M. Bubb & Sons hosted Potato Council’s technical field day at Lynn South Farm, Newport, Shropshire, where they grow around 400 acres of potatoes.

Vales Produce Growers , the Greenvale potato grower group, has appointed John Rix as their new Chairman.