Following pressure on European seed potato stocks this year, at least one Spanish and Portuguese grower is hopeful of a long term solution to the sale of Scottish potato seed in the European Union.
The trade came to an abrupt end on 1 January 2021 following Brexit, when the United Kingdom was declared a third country, meaning that while nothing had changed in terms of production methods or standards, the import of plants, seeds, and other plant propagating materials with a ‘high phytosanitary risk’ was automatically banned.
“[The UK] continues to produce seed potatoes in the same way as it did before Brexit. Scotland has always been recognised as an excellent producer of seed potatoes with great plant health thanks to its weather conditions, which reduce aphid attacks and the spread of viruses,” David Sanchez of Pepsur Marketing told FreshPlaza. “It’s worth noting that Scotland only produces base seeds (that is, category S and SE) and that they are free of many diseases that exist on the European continent. We at Pepsur worked mostly with Scottish seed potatoes, which distinguished us precisely for their quality and health.”
David continued that while the group had worked with seed potatoes from continental Europe for the last three years, he was still hopeful of being able to use Scottish seed again, especially after the NEPG estimated there was a 20 per decrease in the supply of European seed potatoes this year.
“We’re still talking to different entities to see if it’s possible to import Scottish potatoes again,” he explained. “As we saw this year of seed shortages, these imports can be necessary. Europatat, the interlocutor between the European potato sector companies and associations and the European Union, is working on this, creating a working group for this issue.
“Not only has there been a lack of product, but -more importantly- it’s faced health issues. The lack of Scottish seed potatoes has especially affected Spanish seed multiplier companies, which have been experiencing problems with viruses since imports and certain phytosanitary products were banned. The increase in aphids in crops, which are the vectors of the viruses, and the weather have only accentuated these issues.”
