Potatoes imported from Britain will not be banned because of the outbreak of ring rot found in a Welsh crop 10 days ago, the Department of Agriculture and Food confirmed yesterday.
It had been coming under increasing pressure from growers here when it emerged that a number of loads of potatoes from the Welsh farm which might be infected with the disease could not be traced.
However, following a meeting between the Department and the Irish Farmers' Association yesterday, the Department said it was continuing to closely monitor the outbreak of the disease in Wales.
The Department pointed out that a single interception on potatoes in Wales originating in the Netherlands did not constitute a valid or sustainable reason for interfering with trade from the UK.
"It is nevertheless closely monitoring the situation in the United Kingdom in consultation with the UK authorities. In addition, a joint review of strategies to combat the risk of infection is under way with the authorities in Northern Ireland," it said in a statement last evening.
The Department said it had identified certain types of seed sources as potentially of greater risk, and was contacting growers individually as to their source of seed.
The IFA last night welcomed the increased levels of testing and monitoring by the Department of imports of seed- and eating-potatoes from Britain.