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,…
By Scott Walker, CEO, GB Potatoes The humble potato may not make national headlines, but for Britain’s farmers and food system it has become emblematic of the pressures facing modern agriculture. For decades, the UK potato sector has been a reliable cornerstone of our food system. Affordable, versatile, and economically significant, potatoes have long been…
The Treater Group, chaired by Mark Taplin, focuses on all aspects of the crop management of potatoes with a core objective of improving standards, consulting on key matters, facilitating knowledge transfer and developing guidelines for best practice. As we now enter a foliar disease management era without mancozeb it is highly likely that we may…
By Adrian Cunnington, Chair of the CIPC Residues Monitoring Group For several seasons now, the potato industry has been working through the legacy of CIPC. Much of the attention has, quite rightly, been on residue levels in stores that were historically treated. That focus was essential in the early years after withdrawal, but the latest…
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