Speaking at the opening of Solana Seeds’ new Scottish base on 11 August, NFU Scotland vice president Andrew Connon said that the industry was committed to re-establishing the country’s seed potato trade with the European Union.
“Scottish seed potato producers have done a tremendous job over many decades in establishing Scottish grown seed potatoes as a leading global brand. We have an industry to be proud of, whilst the degree of specialisation and technical expertise within the sector is second to none,” he said.
“The biggest issue we face is the lack of a current export market to Europe. With more than 75 per cent of GB’s seed potato exports coming from Scotland, this situation has caused chaos for many growers. The unjust situation in place until the end of June, whereby EU Seed could come in whilst UK exports were halted should never have been allowed to happen.
“However, we need to find a sustainable solution to the issue and soon. We continue to lobby hard and are liaising with Scottish Government, the UK Government, Defra, the European potato trade and membership bodies, as well as the wider potato sector in Scotland. It is apparent that European growers want our seed potatoes whilst some UK growers have a need for imports from Europe. The entire situation is purely political and totally unacceptable.
“We want to see Scotland’s reputation for seed potatoes continue to grow worldwide and it is truly refreshing to see Solana Seeds investing in a Scottish base at Wester Meathie.”
Photo caption: Andrew Connon