Following the latest burst of hot weather, potato consumption has reduced slightly in the 2nd week of September, but all schools have now reopened, so markets should stabilize quickly according to the latest Irish Farmers’ Association report.

“The full effect of the return to school will be more apparent next week,” the IFA specialists reported.

Irish potato farmers continue to harvest the earliest Roosters variety with more new season crops now available on supermarket shelves.

“Yields are reported to be average at best on these crops and very varied even within fields. It is also reported that growers have to delay desiccating, as tuber size is an issue. It is expected that there will be a gap between lifting the early Rooster crops and the main crop due to the weather conditions experienced earlier this spring,” wrote the Irish Farmers’ Association experts in their report.

“Reasonable” Demand

The same report shows that across Europe demand is described as “reasonable”, prices are generally holding and there is much more confidence on the ground than this time last year.

The movement of Maris Piper for quality frying samples from the U.K. to Ireland is reported to have eased this week following a period of strong demand.

After a slow start, main crop yields in Northern Europe have started to improve and in late August were predicted to be slightly above average in most countries, although this does not take into account any crop damaged earlier in the season. The availability and cost of transport continue to hinder trade on the European market.