The potato liftings in the U.K. and Wales are currently well underway, with some British farmers having already finished and others still having work to do.

The recent heavy rain forced many spud growers in the U.K. and Wales to take a break, and for some of the more unfortunate, it resulted in crop damage and losses, according to Tim Rooke, chair of the NFU Potato Policy Group.

“Hopefully the worst is behind us now,” he wrote on his most recent online blog.

Tim Rooke noted that although some farmers are experiencing quality concerns due to the rainy conditions and storage conditions that will need to be carefully considered, the potato yields appear to have recovered better than predicted after the British farmers’ late planting and June’s record-breaking heat.

Planning for Next Season

Although the U.K. and Wales potato growers may be preoccupied with the current season’s liftings, it’s important to think about plans for next season.

“Since the demise of AHDB, we no longer have a definitive figure for the ware planted area, although anecdotally it is understood to be down slightly. One figure we do have though is for the planted seed area. Concerningly these figures show a drop of 1,000ha across England and Scotland and, combined with the lack of seed coming in from Europe, there’s a real concern about how much seed there will be to go around. It remains to be seen as to whether there will be an outright shortage of seed, or if it’ll mean growers are not able to get the exact variety that they would like. Either way, the advice is to make sure you’re speaking to your seed supplier in good time to understand what availability is,” Rooke declared.

On the subject of seed potatoes, there is some positive news, according to him. As of 1 October, and as part of the Windsor framework, seed potato exports have resumed with Northern Ireland.

“Although efforts are still ongoing to restore full U.K.-E.U. seed potato trade, this can be considered a very positive step in the right direction,” NFU’s chair of the Potato Policy Group mentioned.

Canary Islands Concerns

The Canary Islands have stopped importing potatoes from the U.K. due to recent discoveries of the Colorado potato beetle. Although this appears to be fully resolved, it has had a considerable impact on impacted exporters and has refocused attention on this pest.

“If changing climate trends mean this pest becomes more prevalent, it will be critical that we have the tools to deal with it, and that authorities are as prepared as possible,” Rooke explained.

Last, but not least, he hopes that the potato liftings go smoothly and that the weather conditions are favorable.

“I’m thinking ahead to BP2023 where I’m sure I’ll see many of you, and certainly hope that lifting will have concluded by then,” he summed up.