Farmers urged to cash in their chips
IRELAND IMPORTS 80K SPUDS FROM ABROAD
IRISH potato farmers are being urged to grow spuds for chippers — and cash in on the €20million chip shop market.
Bord Bia, Teagasc, the Irish Farmers’ Association and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine are calling on farmers to increase the volume of homegrown potatoes sold in Irish chippers.
Despite being a nation famous for potatoes, Ireland imports 80,000 spuds worth €45million each year.
Around 64,000 of the imported potatoes come from the UK and are used by chippers to make chips.
There are currently over 530 independent chip shops in Ireland.
Chippers insist that the spuds imported from the UK are most suitable for making chips due to how they are grown.
They also believe that the soil type makes the chips crispier and more suited for frying. However, most Irish consumers are unaware that the chips are made from spuds from the UK.
Some 66 per cent of Irish chip shop customers assume that the potatoes used to make chipper chips come from Ireland.
Almost 75 per cent said they are likely to support a chipper that sources locally grown potatoes, while 70 per cent will consider it useful to know the country of origin of the potatoes used in their usual chipper through signage or recognised marks.
The texture of the chips, reputation of chipper and the appearance of chips were cited as the most important factors in making great chipper chips for Irish people.
Irish potato farmers currently grow 300,000 tonnes of spuds per year.
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Pippa Hackett is urging Irish farmers to grow potatoes for the chip shop market, which is worth €20million.
The senator opened Ireland’s first dedicated fresh chipping potato packer and distributor built by Meadowfresh Foods based in Tallow, Co.Waterford and O’Shea Farms/ Iverk Produce, based in Piltown, Co. Kilkenny yesterday.
She said: “A storage facility which maintains the correct sugar and starch levels in potatoes, as well as keeping them fresh beyond the winter period, is absolutely key to producing the quality that is needed in good chipping potatoes.
“So the development of such a facility, along with the official opening of Ireland’s first dedicated potato packer and distributor focusing on the exclusive growing of potatoes for chipping, is a real opportunity for Irish growers to supply home-grown potatoes for the Irish chip shop market.
“Growing chipping potatoes is a specialist operation, and the market for them is valued at approximately
€20 million per year.
DELICIOUS: Fish and chips
MANAGER: Lorcan Bourke
Choice Chipper
“I think the Irish consumer, given the choice, will really appreciate businesses that support local growers.
“This is a welcome development which will shorten the supply chain and bring plant bio security benefits, making it a significant step forward for the sector.”
Lorcan Bourke, Fresh Produce and Potato Manager at Bord Bia, said Irish farmers produce great quality potatoes that are suitable for chips.
He said: “Some chip shop owners have already successfully put a local supply chain relationship in place, demonstrating that Irish growers can grow chipping potatoes of excellent quality.
“Many of the chip shop owners working with locally grown potatoes saw local supply as a great advantage in their communications with customers.
“I firmly believe it is a win-win situation.
“I would encourage any grower or chip shop owner willing to support the initiative to get in touch or visit our webpage ( bordbia. ie/ sourcechips) with a view to establishing new trading relationships,” Mr Bourke added.