GB Potatoes has announced a three-year funding agreement to support the Fight Against Blight (FAB) initiative, a critical monitoring scheme led by the James Hutton Institute that tracks and identifies emerging strains of late blight across Britain. The funding aims to secure the long-term future of the program and enhance industry preparedness in the face of rising blight pressure and fungicide resistance.
The initiative provides growers with real-time intelligence on late blight outbreaks, enabling rapid response strategies and long-term data-driven decision-making. It plays a key role in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) through the independent screening of pathogen samples for fungicide sensitivity.
With the emergence of increasingly aggressive and resistant genotypes of Phytophthora infestans, the causative agent of late blight, continuous and coordinated monitoring is seen as vital to maintaining the UK potato sector’s resilience.
“FAB is a lifeline for growers facing an evolving disease landscape and exemplifies what can be achieved when the sector works together for a common cause,” GB Potatoes said in a statement. The organization, which stepped in to replace support following the closure of AHDB Potatoes, emphasized that FAB represents the interface where research meets practical application.
The new grant funding will be administered using residual AHDB potato levy funds, marking a reinvestment in industry-wide disease management infrastructure.
FAB operates through a nationwide network of over 90 “FAB Scouts”—agronomists and growers—who collectively submit up to 1,700 samples annually from suspected blight sites. These samples help generate a real-time picture of pathogen diversity and distribution, supporting both seasonal decision-making and long-term policy.
The program is delivered by a broad stakeholder consortium spanning the UK potato supply chain. Key participants include crop protection companies (Certis Belchim, UPL, Bayer, BASF, Corteva, Syngenta, FMC), processors (McCain, Albert Bartlett, Branston), agronomy service providers (Agrovista, Frontier, Agrii, SAC, Hutchinsons, ProCam, Scottish Agronomy), and distributors.
As concerns mount over the durability of existing fungicides, FAB’s role in detecting resistance trends and identifying new pathogenic threats is becoming increasingly strategic for the future of sustainable UK potato production. The new funding agreement is a major step toward preserving that capability.
