Urgent government action has been demanded to prevent illegally-imported potatoes bringing a “grave risk” of pests and diseases into East Anglia.
As Chris Hill reports for Eastern Daily Press, warnings were raised in a national farming magazine last month that 1,000 tonnes of “small ware” Agria potatoes have been imported as uncertified seed potatoes for spring planting in west Norfolk, south Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire.
This would be a breach of biosecurity rules, following the post-Brexit ban on importing seed potatoes into the UK. An East Anglian seed merchant, who did not wish to be identified, said there is a “grave risk of disease, and transmission of pests due to this lack of policing by our government body, Defra”.
Source: Eastern Daily Press. Full story here
Photo credit: Archant via Eastern Daily Press
