WEATHER CHECK

The route to market of potatoes from imported seed to grower to packer to supermarket has been enforced by the supermarkets over the last 30 years.

This single supply chain is another weakness to the industry.

Currently all risk is borne by the grower.

If a variety has a skin blemish, or doesn’t yield or can’t be harvested, the packer/ supermarket can shrug their shoulders and walk away, the grower bears all the costs.

The grower in turn becomes very conservative as they must to protect their business, so they only grow rooster as it’s the best chance it will be sold.

Also as only the strong growers can take the risk, the supply becomes increasingly consolidated to a very small number of very large growers, again not very sustainable in the long term.

For example, take salad potatoes.

This product offering has grown hugely in recent years, and has achieved a significant market share. It’s practically all imported produce however.

Teagasc have grasped this nettle and have implemented a demonstration programme to encourage the growth of salad potatoes in Ireland.

Salad potatoes are very pernickety and are high risk. If the only route to market is through the existing supply structure, it’s a doomed project.

Growers will not take on the risk of growing the crop if they are left holding the baby of a high risk product.

Supermarkets won’t get enough supply to justify the switch from imported to Irish sourced material, and the stasis continues.

Without some real ‘knocking together of heads’, and some real innovation being implemented, the sector is doomed, Irish potato or not.

PHOTO: BRIAN FARRELL Gerry Mulligan from Mohill, Co Leitrim is one of many farmers in the west and north who are counting the cost of the recent bad weather which has led to cattle being housed early.