The National Potato Week marketing campaign aimed at encouraging people to eat more potatoes came under threat yesterday in a row between farmers and a supermarket chain over below-cost selling.
Details of possible disruption to the campaign emerged when An Bord Glas, the national horticulture board, announced details of the promotion which is scheduled to run for a week from Monday.
The campaign will feature national radio advertising and competitions, TV cookery demonstrations and new recipes. However, Mr John Sheridan, chairman of the IFA's national potato committee, threatened action against a retail group which he said planned to sell the product at below cost.
"This week was supposed to be about promoting Irish potatoes but now we are faced with the prospect of one group selling potatoes at below cost. We cannot allow that. It will put us all out of business," he said.
Mr Sheridan said growers, wholesalers and retailers had wanted next week's promotion to go ahead without disruption but one supermarket group was persisting in what he called below-cost selling. Talks with the group, which he would not name, were continuing.
Mr Declan Fennell, development marketing manager of An Bord Glas, said that while 93 per cent of households bought potatoes annually and 85 per cent of people ate them once a day, consumption was relatively lower among younger age groups and low-income groups.
He said the target audience for the advertisements was the 20-35 age group where consumption was lowest and there was competition from rice, pasta and other foods.
Bord Glas research found that multiple supermarkets accounted for 62 per cent of potato sales followed by 8 per cent in symbol supermarkets, 14 per cent in greengrocers and 16 per cent in other outlets. Consumers spent €174 million on potatoes for the year ending last May.