UK: BREXIT and the Potato Industry

On June 23, 2016 the British people were given the choice “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European or leave the European Union?” Of the 33.5 million people who voted 51.9% chose to leave with 48.1% wanting to remain. It was a result that shocked many, and will have massive implications for both the UK and the European Union and will impact on the potato industry. Along with Germany, the UK is the EU’s largest potato market consuming more than six million tons of potatoes and potato products every year. With harvests of around 5.5 million tons a year, the UK does not produce enough potatoes to fulfill its own needs importing the equivalent of more than two million tons of potatoes a year making it one of the most important potato mar kets in the world. More