The ban on UK seed potato exports to the EU and Northern Ireland has reached crisis point for Northern Irish potato growers who depend ”very heavily” on seed imported from Scotland, according to leading Irish potato grower-packer Wilson’s Country.
As Luisa Cheshire reports for Fresh Produce Journal, Wilson’s Country CEO Angus Wilson told Northern Ireland Minister of State Steve Baker MP that the ban could severely damage the competitiveness of potato production in Northern Ireland if the Northern Ireland Protocol is not amended to take account of growers’ needs.
Following his visit to Wilson’s Country potato packing and processing plant at Craigavon in Co Armagh, Mr Barker commented: “It is unacceptable that essential goods used successfully in Northern Ireland for generations, like seed potatoes, can no longer reach people in Northern Ireland.“
Source: Fresh Produce Journal / Fruitnet. Read the full story here
Photo: Wilson’s Country CEO Angus Wilson (left) with Northern Ireland Minister of State Steve Baker MP. Credit Fresh Produce Journal / Fruitnet
