Europe Edition
Approximately 90 per cent of seed potatoes now need to be sourced from other EU regions, which have not traditionally supplied high grade seed varieties favored by the Northern Ireland market.
Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots, said: “At the core of the prohibition on moving seed potatoes from GB to NI is the displacement of long established trading from high grade seed areas in Scotland and northern England. The inability to access this seed reduces the opportunities for potato growers to multiply high grade seed for the local market and, consequently, the production of ware potatoes of these varieties.”
Poots confirmed he is continuing to press the UK government on the matter and that Secretary of State, George Eustice, is soliciting the EU to review its current position.
Source: farminglife.com
