Water tops the agenda at Potato Summit

The British potato industry has the growers, expertise and sophisticated supply chain needed to increase domestic production, reduce reliance on imports and support national food security. However, delegates at the recent Potato Industry Growth Summit said that none of this will be possible without secure and reliable access to water.

The summit, hosted in London by GB Potatoes and the National Potato Innovation Centre, concluded that water must be treated as a strategic requirement for food production. Without action, increasingly unpredictable rainfall and restrictions on access to water risk reducing the area of potatoes grown in Britain, undermining existing production and limiting the industry’s ability to grow. The summit in London, took place between the second and third heatwave of the year and the availability of water was a hot topic for delegates.

The last decade has seen three years of drought – 2018, 2022 and 2025, with spring and summer rainfall well below long-term averages this year in many parts of England. Meanwhile the 2025/26 winter was one of the wettest on record and late and wet springs in 2023 and 2024 impacted potato crops. Delegates to the summit reported that growers are experiencing longer periods between rainfall events and more intense rain events when it does fall.

This increasingly volatile pattern means the industry must be able to capture water when it is plentiful and store it for use when crops need it.

Potatoes are particularly sensitive to water stress during tuber initiation and bulking. Insufficient or inconsistent water can reduce yields, limit tuber size and cause quality problems that make a significant proportion of the crop unsuitable for sale or processing.

Potato crops require in the region of 350 mm of water over the growing season, around 1.4 million litres per acre. This is the crop’s total water use, supplied through a combination of rainfall, water stored in the soil and irrigation

Defra figures for 2025 show that there was a need for 7.1 million tonnes of potatoes in the UK, but only 71% of that demand came from British grown potatoes. At the turn of the Century, the UK supplied 90% of its potato needs.

Delegate discussion at the summit identified key water concerns and needs:

• Long-term water planning involving government, regulators, water companies and the agricultural sector, creating the certainty needed for businesses to invest in reservoirs and water-management infrastructure.
• Recognition that access to water for food production is a national food-security priority and should not continually be placed behind residential and commercial demand.
• Faster, simpler and more proportionate planning and licensing processes for the construction of farm reservoirs.
• Policies that allow water to be captured and stored during periods of high rainfall for use during dry periods.
• Continued investment in irrigation efficiency, soil health, drainage and whole-farm water management.
• Research into drought- and flood-tolerant potato varieties and more resilient systems of production.

Scott Walker, Chief Executive of GB Potatoes, said:

“Water is not an optional extra for potato production. It is fundamental to maintaining the crop we grow today and absolutely essential if we want to increase British production in the future.

“Without reliable access to water, we will see further reductions in domestic production, greater volatility for growers and processors, and increasing reliance on imports. That would weaken our food security and export jobs and investment from the British supply chain.

“Growers are prepared to invest in reservoirs, irrigation technology and more efficient water-management systems, but they need a policy and planning framework that gives them the confidence to do so.

“We experience periods when there is too much water and periods when there is far too little. The answer is to enable growers to capture water when it is available and store it until crops need it.

“If government is serious about economic growth, food security and increasing domestic food production, then water for agriculture must be recognised as strategic national infrastructure.”

Investment in agricultural water storage would also reduce pressure on public water supplies, which are facing increasing demand from housing development, population growth and a changing climate. Farm reservoirs and coordinated water-management systems can also help manage periods of heavy rainfall, reduce flood risks and improve wider catchment resilience.

Delegates to the Potato Summit included members from across the potato supply chain including growers, breeders, packers, processors, input suppliers, researchers, retails and foodservice professionals. They heard from a range of speakers that despite the challenges facing the UK potato industry, there is still strong demand for the crop and the potential to increase consumption and reduce the country’s potato trade deficit.

Speakers included Baroness Minette Batters, Andrew Niven from Scotland Food & Drink, Olivia Theaker, the Co-op; Ian Pennock, McCain, GB Potatoes board member Sophie Bambridge, B&C Farming and chair of CUPGRA, Katy Pook, Greenvale, Patrick Hughes, Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society, Alex Godfrey, chair of GB Potatoes, Professor Ian Toth, director of Scotland’s Plant Health Centre and the National Potato Innovation Centre at the James Hutton Institute and Scott Walker, GB Potatoes.

Other topics addressed at the summit included: driving increased potato consumption; delivering the best varieties for sustainable increases in GB potato production; safeguarding plant health; restoring confidence and profitability in the sector; driving resilient production with innovation; creating joined-up industry growth policies and frameworks and ensure that the potato industry attracts and retains talented people.

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Media and Press: Rebecca Dawes or Katie Insch – gbpotatoes@janecraigie.com