Potato Review

GB POTATOES T he UK potato industry has never been as challenged as it is today. Ever-increasing regulatory burden, the increased nancial risk pro le of growing the crop and the loss of talent from the industry a ect us all, regardless of which sector of the supply chainwe are involved in. Fundamental challenges around the championing of the industry to ful l our common goal of producing high quality crops that encouragemore consumers to eat and enjoymore of the produce that we dedicate our e orts to supplying, cannot be ignored. As an industry, we need an umbrella organisation that will scan the horizon for new opportunities, be there to ght our corner when negative press stories break and to protect the tools of the trade that somany of us rely upon. Without a joined-up voice, we soon become very vulnerable andwill be seen bymarkets and policy makers alike as littlemore than a niche entity. Many non-market factors a ect potato production in the UK, from facing the net zero challenge to ensuring that there is cohesive representation of our industry sector in relation to legislation. Addressing these challenges is vital to the long-termsecurity of UK potato growing. Without clear industry representationworking for the greater good of the whole potato sector, we will be at severe risk of a death by a thousand cuts, and I fear we will watch a once valuable part of UK agriculture decline to become a minor area, controlled and dominated by large-scale commercial organisations. e potato industry has thrived because of its independence and ingenuity over the years, and to see this dwindle as a result of lack of future cohesion to ght our corner would be unforgiveable. My potato growing business bene ts from the use of talented individuals, the ability to react quickly to the requirements of its customers and by using the resources at its disposal to the best of its ability. While we toil the elds doing our best to economically produce a crop that is needed by our customers, we rely on others to ght our corner with regards to the bigger picture of potatoes within the UK. ‘A joined-up voice to overcome vulnerabilities’ GB Potatoes is a newly-formed organisation seeking to give support and a voice to the British potato industry as a whole. In its rst of a series of columns for Potato Review , grower Graham Bannister explains why he feels it is a valid representational body. Personally, I feel happier being part of an independent organisationwith our best interests at heart. Without such an entity looking out for the entire potato sector, it will become more andmore challenging for independent growers to compete in the long termand the UKwill see a further drain of land labour and capital away frompotato production. e AHDBwas far from infallible, and growers gave a clear mandate of their dissatisfactionwith it in the ballot that led to its demise. I believe GB Potatoes can provide the cohesive functions that are of bene t to the entire potato industry in a lean and cost-e ectivemanner that will be to the greater good of a long-term thriving sector. GB Potatoesmust provide industry-wide bene t, otherwise it has no reason to exist. Some in the industrymay be reluctant to sign up until they “see some clear outcomes”. But without a signi cant initial sign-up, it will not be possible to have those. All edgling organisations need talent and nancial resources to produce outcomes and get o the ground. In the UKwe are blessedwith a very large market of consumers. We have suitable soils and infrastructure and an excellent knowledge and talent base that should be able to provide customers with the potatoes and potato products that they want, in an economically and environmentally sustainable way for many years to come. is could be greatly enhanced by working together as an industry and getting GB Potatoes o to a ying start. As a grower, I do not feel the need to wait and see outcomes before investing a sum that’s less than the cost of a single blight spray per hectare. at small sum is all it will take to get GB Potatoes up and running, to enhance and improve the entire potato sector. info@gb-potatoes.co.uk www.gb-potatoes.co.uk/ Our Aims: • Provide an “Umbrella” organization that supports and coordinates activity that a ects all GB potato supply chains and provides significantly greater impact over an individual or sector working alone • Stimulate and mobilise the GB potato industry to ensure we are able to innovate and have access to funding to allow cross industry collaboration to reduce the risk of the sector fragmenting • Establish an organization that is a trusted and respected voice capable of representing the industry with government and regulators • Ensure the sector has a representative body that supports the industry with suitable horizon scanning capability to manage threats • Establish a structure that supports collaborative work programmes amongst partner groups Key immediate functions: • DEFEND: Stand ready to defend the reputation of the industry when required - Re-instate reputational and crisis management function • SPEAK: Be the single point of industry contact for government, regulators & the media - Coordinated and pro-active support for the industry - Engage on the immediate priority issues a ecting the GB Potato Sector • ENABLE: provide the platform for members to work in partnership on projects of mutual interest - Immediate need to support Blight & Aphid monitoring programmes - Facilitate conversations and ensure e ective applications for available funding to support priority industry need. • KNOW: be aware of cross industry research and development activity, current and historic, to reduce duplication and bring together mutual interest groups. • COMMUNICATE: provide forums for the whole industry to come together to tackle the current challenges ACT NOW TO REPRESENT OUR INDUSTRY! 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