Potato Council Report May 2024

Potato Market Report 

01.05.2024 

	Low	High	Average
Rooster box	€680	€750	€735
Rooster 10kg	€8.50	€9.50	€9
Kerr Pinks 10kg	€9	€10	€9.50

With the weather remaining very mixed, home consumption and retail trade remains strong. Some planting progress was made last week when the weather allowed, however, it took the ground a few days to dry out before any groundwork could commence. Wet weather conditions this week has halted work once again.  With plantings so late this year and last season’s stocks so tight, supplies will be increasingly tight in late June/July.  

Across Europe. planting is still very slow with cold weather and frequent showers delaying progress. Hail storms in Holland last week are reported to have caused damage to emerging crops including onions. In Northern France only 5% is planted at best. In Belgium and Holland around 25% of the early area is planted.   

Food Regulator  

The office of the new Agri-Food Regulator was launched in December. This new State body tasked with regulating the food supply chain, An Rialálaí Agrabhia, will play a very important role in bringing fairness back into our food supply chain and level the playing pitch in negotiations between farmers, processors and retailers. Former IFA President Joe Healy will chair the Board.  

Unharvested Potato Crops 

Harvest 2023 has been reported as one of the most difficult in recent memory. Widespread flooding in October further compounded the difficult conditions and it was almost inevitable that losses would occur. Growers managed to get the majority of the crops out of the ground, which was referred to as a ‘salvage operation’ by many. According to a survey IFA conducted in January, some 650 acres remain unharvested. There has not been an opportunity to harvest any of this acreage due to weather conditions. Since sharp frost conditions in January when drills were waterlogged and the plants sat exposed in drills, it is likely that approximately 50% of this acreage is now unsalable, even if it was harvested.  

Activity since last Council 

• IFA held a National Potato meeting on March 13^th in the City North Hotel Gormanston. At the meeting there were presentations from industry stakeholders including Teagasc, DAFM and Bord Bia.  
• A potato committee meeting took place on the 22^nd of February in the Farm Centre.  
• IFA Potato chairman Sean Ryan led a number of media engagements on the difficult year potato farmers have had in terms of weather and unharvested potatoes. This included reports with Virgin Media, the Financial Times other print media.  
• IFA continued to engage with all retails and potato packers on potato stocks and spec requirements with the challenging weather.  
• IFA continues to lobby for funding for unharvested potato crops, this was brought up at a recent meeting with Minister Charlie McConalogue.  
• IFA continues to lobby for all potato farmers to be excluded from commercial rates as per the Valuation Act. In recent years there has been an increase in inspections on potato, tillage and horticulture premises by Local Government on behalf of the Valuation Office. Inspectors are deeming storage sheds, packing sheds, and washing bays ratable. These buildings are not ratable by virtue of constituting “Farm buildings” as defined in the Valuation Act 2001. If a precedent is set, then almost all agriculture buildings could be viewed as ratable, creating potentially disastrous for all agriculture sectors. Accordingly, the current exemption is not fit for purpose.  
• IFA attended an online Copa Potato meeting on March 5^th. The issue of seed potato was discussed between member states. 

Upcoming Activity/Events 

• IFA will continue to monitor the origin of produce with the use of Isotope testing. 

• IFA continues to engage with retailers on crop availability and setting up meetings with retailer buyers and packers at this critical period.  
• IFA will continue to contact growers to ensure they are aware of the costs of production and engage in both stocks/acreage surveys.