GB Potatoes Commits Three-Year Funding to the Fight Against Blight

GB Potatoes is very pleased to announce a three-year funding commitment to support the Fight Against Blight (FAB) project – a vital national initiative led by the James Hutton Institute that provides invaluable situational intelligence regarding the evolving threat posed by potato late blight.

This funding, delivered through a grant from AHDB utilising the residual Potato Levy funds, will strengthen the long-term sustainability of FAB, and enable this essential monitoring scheme to expand and strengthen the sector’s collective resilience to one of its most persistent potato challenges.

Importantly, this is not a solo effort.  The FAB project stands as a truly powerful example of cross-industry collaboration, backed by a committed consortium of stakeholders including agribusinesses, scouts, crop protection companies, processors, distributers, and agronomy providers.  Together, these key organisations ensure that this essential work not only continues at a time when vigilance is required but also evolves in response to new threats and demands.

Launched in 2006, FAB has become a cornerstone of the UK potato sector’s resilience strategy against late blight.  The scheme relies on an invaluable and collaborative network of FAB Scouts – agronomists, growers, and industry professionals – who collect and submit up to 1,700 field samples annually from outbreaks the length and breadth of the country.

With new aggressive strains entering GB, and an increasing threat from fungicide-resistant genotypes, continued monitoring is more critical than ever.  FAB provides real-time identification of blight strains whist further delivering vital insights for shaping Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies through independent fungicide sensitivity screening.

The work led by Dr David Cooke, and Dr Alison Lees at the James Hutton Institute, provides the entire potato supply chain with in-season intelligence on blight population shifts, resistance trends, and the efficacy of key fungicides.  These insights help the industry respond quickly and effectively to emerging threats.

GB Potatoes is proud to stand alongside a committed group sponsors including Certis Belchim, UPL, Bayer, BASF, Corteva, Syngenta, FMC, McCain, Albert Bartlett, Branston, Agrovista, Frontier, Agrii, SAC, Hutchinsons, ProCam, Scottish Agronomy and any others also keen to be involved.   The FAB project is great example of where research meets application, it’s a lifeline for growers facing an evolving disease landscape and the project exemplifies what can be achieved when the sector truly works together for a common cause.

For more information or to get involved as a scout or supporter, visit: https://blight.hutton.ac.uk or email fab@hutton.ac.uk.