Potatoes are remarkable bundles of nutrition that can be used in endless ways. Few foods can match their combination of affordability, versatility and nutritional value. Surrounded by potato boxes, that was the message guests heard at a special potato lunch held in a Lincolnshire potato store recently. Food and farming writers joined potato growers, chefs,…
GB Potatoes Director, Sophie Bambridge, joined the family business, B & C Farming, in 2016. Today, she’s the Business Manager and, alongside the Farm Manager Chris Day, runs a business contract farming over 2,200ha across North East Norfolk producing ware and seed potatoes as well as wheat, barley, sugar beet, grass seed, oilseed rape and…
Alex Godfrey, GB Potatoes Chair, attended the NFU roundtable on Friday 21 August where farming organisations came together to agree the urgent action and investment needed to sustain businesses across England and Wales. “GB Potatoes supports the principle of interest-free Farm Crisis Loans to help otherwise viable businesses withstand exceptional cash-flow pressures. Potato production requires…
Following the success of the 2026 inaugural Potato Industry Development Programme, GB Potatoes, in association with the British Potato Trade Association (BPTA) has opened applications for 2027. Aimed at new entrants to the potato industry, the programme offers participants a comprehensive understanding of the sector, the latest industry insights and the chance to build lasting…
James Harrison is a third-generation potato grower based at Hall Farm, Trimingham, on the North Norfolk coast. The Harrison family has been growing potatoes in Norfolk since 1963, with potato production remaining a cornerstone of the business for more than 60 years, producing processing, prepack and seed potatoes. Here, James shares why water security has…
GB Potatoes and the CIPC Residues Monitoring Group (CRMG) are urging potato growers and store managers to prioritise store cleaning and to submit their residue sampling results before the 31 August. The latest CRMG surveillance data shows that chlorpropham (CIPC) residues detected in potato stores remain within the current permitted limit. Residue levels are continuing…
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…
Robust and long potato rotations are improving the resilience of British potato production and delivering large volumes of sustainably produced food, a new report from GB Potatoes shows. “Potatoes are key to many rotations with the growers I work with,” says, agronomist Mark Taplin, at Harvest Agronomy, based in Shropshire. “Without them, and a reliance…
The British new potato needs no introduction, no complicated recipe, and no embellishment – just butter to enjoy this brief, brilliant early summer harvest. Right now, in three iconic British ‘early potato’ sweet spots, potato lifting is underway. In the coastal fields of Ayrshire, the farmlands of Pembrokeshire, and the Sandlings of Suffolk – farmers…
A major new survey of British potato growers reveals a sector facing significant short-term pressure, with confidence low for the coming season as growers contend with rising costs, policy uncertainty, labour challenges and threats from pests and disease. However, the survey also shows that growers retain greater confidence in the longer-term future of the industry,…
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