News on Industry Associations from Europe

Importers and growers looking to buy high health, high quality seed are warmly invited to visit Potato Council’s stand at Potato Europe (Emmeloord, The Netherlands, September 11-12, 2013).

In the aftermath of last year’s difficult growing and harvesting season, almost one in ten of Britain’s potato growers decided to call it a day, but, according to Rob Clayton of the Potato Council, the 2013 acreage of potatoes in the UK has not fallen.

Furious potato growers are going head to head with supermarkets and restaurants in a campaign to reclaim the "British New Potato".

Potato Council’s summer ‘Many Faces of Potatoes’ campaign has been hailed a major success, following positive industry and consumer feedback.

The North-Western European Potato Growers (NEPG) has issued an updated estimate of planted area for the 2013 crop (at the start of July).

The Potato Council’s first estimate of total potato plantings for the 2013 crop year in Great Britain is 121,200 hectares.

Representatives from across Europe?s food supply chain have today announced the launch of a joint effort to tackle the major societal problem of food wastage via the publication of their Joint Declaration entitled, “Every Crumb Counts”.

Children across the United Kingdom have been harvesting new potato crops as part of the Potato Council’s primary school project, Grow Your Own Potatoes.

In the United Kingdom, the Potato Council is seeking to raise awareness for the new season crop, with a TV advertising burst to hit screens in July.

The Belgian potato processing industry has seen a spectacular growth during the last decades. The companies active in this sector have grown from 500.000 tons of processed potatoes in 1990 to 3,65 million tons of raw material in 2012.

EUPPA, the European Potato Processors’ Association, is organising in Brussels its 1st Congress for the processed potatoes’ sector on 16th May 2013 in Brussels, which will be also an opportunity to celebrate the 50th anniversary of EUPPA.

Based on a survey among 123 of its members, the Belgian organisation PCA expects an 8% increase in the potato acreage in Flanders for the main crop, as well as an increase in the acreage of early potatoes of 7.5%. Potato farmers were expressing their p...

As Allan Stevenson steps down after five years as Chair of Potato Council and member of the AHDB Board, David Piccaver, a leafy salad producer from South Lincolnshire enthusiastically takes on this challenging and exciting role.

Following the 22nd annual Chip Week Potato Council can count national press coverage, industry-wide involvement and over 35,000 nominations in the ‘Choice Chip Awards’ as highlights of its success.

FRUIT LOGISTICA, the leading event for the international fresh produce trade sector, fully lived up to the high expectations.

Europatat and the Czech Potato Association (UBS) are pleased to announce the opening for registrations for the annual Europatat Congress, taking place in Carlsbad (Czech Republic) from 30 May 2013 till 1 June 2013.

Potato Council has joined forces with popular chef James Martin once again to showcase the versatility and health benefits of potatoes, as part of its ‘Many Faces of Potatoes’ promotion.

This Potato Council report provides an overview and comparison of the costs of production of potatoes for processing in the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany.