Certified seed potato imports from Scotland should be available on the Irish market from 2026 onwards, according to Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) potato committee chairperson, Sean Ryan.
The development will provide Irish growers more time to produce the locally produced seed that will maintain Ireland’s potato acreage.
Ryan explained: “This will be part of an over-arching Common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement reached between the UK and the European Commission.
“No final timings have been arrived at with regard to the introduction of the new measures.
“However, it is hoped that everything will be in place to allow the importation of certified seed potatoes from Scotland in time for the 2026 growing season.”
Ryan and his IFA colleague Niamh Brennan visited Brussels at the tail end of 2024 to discuss this issue with Irish MEPs and representative from the European Commission.
Ryan told Agriland: “The role played by our MEPs in getting this deal over the line was extremely significant.”
Potato harvest
Meanwhile, Irish potato crops are continuing to grow well.
According to Ryan: “The recent warm spell has brought crops through their growth stages at an accelerated rate. So we could well be looking at an early start to the 2025 harvest.
“Up to now, crops that had not been irrigated were under a fair bit of moisture stress. However, this situation has been resolved to a large extent, following recent rain in many parts of the country.
“Blight levels have been reasonably low up to this point. But growers must maintain their spraying programmes.
“There is absolutely no room for complacency where the threat of blight is concerned.
Ryan is also confirming that supplies of Irish potatoes are now coming through in significant quantities, a point that the IFA has highlighted to all of Ireland’s multiple retailers.
“There are enough old season and new season varieties to supply the market,” the IFA representative said.
Meanwhile, figures released by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine confirm that the area of main crop potatoes planted out in 2025 is approximately 2,000ac below 2024 figures.
The IFA’s potato committee chairperson noted; “However, last year’s figure was up by some 2,500ac on the 2023 acreage. So we have come back to a more normal planting figure of around 22,000ac.
“This means that Irish potato supply will be in line with expected demand over the coming months.
“We will be meeting with the supermarkets in the run-up to the 2025 harvest in order to secure the best possible returns for potato growers during the season ahead.”
