Dedicated Growers
Northern Ireland Seed Potatoes
Northern Ireland’s climate and topography make it an ideal place to grow healthy seed potatoes. Cool westerly winds suppress the aphid population resulting in a low incidence of aphid-borne viruses.
Only land that has been tested by the Statutory Authority – The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and found to be free of Potato Cyst Nematode is used to grow seed potatoes. During the growing season each crop is rigorously inspected for virus infection and purity by staff from DAERA.
All crops are inspected at least twice. The highest quality crops also have leaves tested for latent virus infection. Only crops that meet the required standard are given a plant health certificate appropriate to their specific grade.
DAERA
DAERA inspectors carefully examine consignments of seed potatoes prepared for dispatch before they leave the grower’s farm, to ensure that the seed meets the standard for tuber diseases, purity and other defects. Northern Ireland is recognised as free from many serious diseases and pests important to seed potatoes; brown rot, bacterial ring rot, rhizomania and Colorado beetle. Other diseases such as Meliodogyne fallax and Meliodogyne chitwoodi, which are present elsewhere in Europe, are not found in the province. Nuclear stocks of seed potatoes are produced in Northern Ireland by micropropagation and minituber production. Use of these techniques has improved the health of seed potato crops and facilitated the rapid multiplication of new varieties.
Export
Potato Inspectors are familiar with the tuber quality standards required by overseas customers and supervise grading of seed potatoes on-farm in preparation for export. When a consignment of seed potatoes is ready for export the Inspector examines it to confirm that it meets the required standard. Inspectors check that:
- Size
- Grade
- Net weight
- Crop number
- Details of variety
- Tubers must comply with the tolerances laid down by the importing customer for size, damage, misshapen tubers, excess soil and visible tuber diseases
- Merchant’s number & grower’s serial number on the label are correct
Only when a consignment has passed the inspection is the label on the inspected bags endorsed with an official DAERA stamp. A movement certificate is then issued authorising transport of the seed to its destination.
Potato Journey
In its journey to your plate the potato moves along a well-controlled and efficient supply chain. The chain starts with the breeder such as Solana GmbH and moves through the seed potato grower, such as those in Mourne Seed Potatoes, to the farmer or gardener who plants the seed to produce the potatoes which we eat.
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