The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has said that its representatives are meeting with the country’s main supermarkets to confirm the year-round availability of Irish potatoes.
IFA national potato committee chairperson Sean Ryan told Agriland that initial discussions had already taken place with Tesco. “We made the point very clearly that high-quality Irish potatoes are available at all times. There is no need to bring imports into the country. Our plan is to meet the other supermarkets over the coming weeks,” he said.
He also confirmed that, according to IFA figures 21,000 acres of potatoes were planted in the Ireland this year. Sean added that the maincrop harvest is “getting underway”, though it is not possible to give “a definitive perspective on overall yields” at this stage.
“For the most part, growers are opening up fields at the present time and concentrating on headlands,” he said. “But it’s already clear that the eating quality of this year’s potato crops will be excellent. Dry matters are exceptionally high. And this factor alone reflects very positively on eating quality. This is another key message that we will be relating to the supermarkets.”
In its weekly market report the IFA commented, ‘Home consumption and retail demand continues to improve and is reported to be similar to levels this time last year. Colder weather conditions and the return of family routines have certainly led to this turn in consumption habits. Lifting conditions are ideal this week following rainfall last week. Crops are coming fit much earlier than last year as expected.’
Looking ahead to 2026, Sean Ryan added that the Association was still waiting for a derogation from the European Commission to allow the importation of Scottish seed potatoes into the country. “It’s important that the decision required is taken without delay,” he said. “Irish growers will be seeking to secure 2026 seed supplies in the very near future. Given this state-of-affairs, we are asking all Irish MEPs to put as much pressure on Brussels as possible in order to get the decision that we need from the European Commission as quickly as possible.”
He added that while the quantities of Irish-grown seed potatoes continue to grow, they are currently insufficient to meet total demand. “It will take a couple of years before the Irish seed sector can meet local demand in full. This is why we need to secure the continuing derogation from Brussels allowing the importation of seed potatoes from Scotland.”
