Brexit sparks potato seed shortage with warning floury spuds could be off the menu

Ireland’s dinner tables are set for a shake up over the next few years with potato seed for Kerr Pinks, Golden Wonders and British Queens — the “floury spud” varieties — expected to be in short supply. Traditionally, up to 50 per cent of potato seed for these varieties was imported from Scotland, but under post-Brexit rules the UK is now deemed a third country and phytosanitary rules are no longer aligned.

Despite assurances from Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue that the industry has his backing, with Tops Farm, a research farm in his Donegal constituency dedicated to growing seed potatoes, industry insiders say it will take several years to fill the gap left in the market with domestically-grown seed.

“It’s a bit of conundrum to be honest; we’ve limited seed crops growing here and UK potato seed imports aren’t approved,” said Teagasc potato specialist Shay Phelan.

“A derogation was sought to import seed but it wasn’t successful and that will have a big impact on some farmers. If we got access to a derogation for seed for seed growers we could fill the gaps but even that would take a year or two.

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“The potatoes that will take the hardest hit will most likely be the Kerr Pinks, Golden Wonders and British Queens. The high-dry matter or floury spuds that burst open when you steam them and you eat with lashings of Kerrygold.”

He added that crops yielded well last year, which means that most growers should have enough seed for this year, and consumers are unlikely to see a significant impact until 2023. However, it is bad news for many native potato growers who have already seen land dedicated to the crop drop from 42,000 acres in 1990 to 21,000 acres this year.

The main potato growers in counties Meath, Wexford and Donegal are also battling supermarket imports, with 40,000 tonnes of fresh potatoes imported from England last year, and a tripling in fertiliser prices, up to €700 a tonne for nitrogen.

For John Carroll growing 70 acres of Kerr Pinks and British Queens in Co Louth, the future is uncertain.

“It will be a big issue unless there’s something done with the seed industry. We don’t save seed because it’s completely different, that’s why there’s so few seed growers in Ireland because it’s hard to get right,” he said. “We need to get foundation stock and I don’t know when Tops Farm will have tonnes of seed to give out and sell. This thing takes years to get right.”

Supermarket stipulations mean that seed quality needs to be high, with consumers demanding clean, unblemished potato skins. The number of Irish potato seed growers has dwindled over the years, with Scotland boasting better storage facilities and higher-grade seed; but Brexit might provide the opportunity for Irish potato seed growers to take the lead in the domestic market once again.

Charlie Doherty, a potato seed grower from Donegal, calls himself “one of the last of the Mohicans” when it comes to the business and has seen his sales soar over the past year.

“Pre-Brexit I would have been selling 100 tonnes depending on the year whereas this year I’d be selling 300 tonnes. It’s probably one of the few positives to come from Brexit,” he said. “I’m turning guys away because we’ve sold out of some varieties like Queens and Wonders. I’ve built up a customer base over the years and I have to look after those customers to start with.”

Another seed grower, IPM, has been working to ensure that Ireland’s most popular variety of potato, the Rooster, which accounts for 60 per cent of the fresh potato market, will have a safe domestic supply with no shortages predicted.

This domestic market for seed is something that IFA potato chairman Thomas McKeown feels could be

“a great opportunity here for seed growers, but it will take about three years and it’s going to be a bit of a pain. There’s no quick fix”.