Potato industry 'at risk' after latest outbreak of disease

THE Scottish seed potato industry has reacted with anger to the confirmation of another crop of potatoes being infected with the highly infectious and transmissible potato disease dickeya solani which was found in a sample of ware potatoes grown last year on West Mains of Colliston outside Arbroath.

The outbreak has a number of similarities with the first discovery of dickeya on a farm near Coupar Angus in that it originally came in via a consignment of certified seed from England and that Albert Bartlett, prepackers, Airdrie were involved in the deal.

One difference this time is that the disease has been found in the variety Vivaldi, whereas on the first occasion the variety was Innovator.

Supermarket giant Sainsbury's has had exclusivity on Vivaldi since it first came over to the UK from Holland a few years ago.

The infected sample was found on the farm which lies in the heartland of potato growing in Scotland with almost half the total crop grown within a 30- mile radius of the location.

Colin Herron, a former chairman of the British Potato Trade Association and now manager of McCains, the major processor of potatoes in the UK, said: "This is putting the whole Scottish potato industry at risk. There are big financial implications if this disease gets out of hand."

Last year, around about 100 million of potatoes were produced in Scotland and part of this came from a record tonnage of top quality seed exported to more than 30 countries.

When the disease first swept through Holland it was estimated that in one year alone 20m was wiped of potato growers' balance sheets.