Dr Philip Burgess has joined Potato Council as communications and knowledge transfer team leader.
The organisation envisages Burgess bringing a breadth of technical, scientific and commercial expertise gained from a career dedicated to potatoes.
Potato Council director Rob Clayton, said: “We have a very strong, cohesive and committed potato team, and with Philip taking the communications role, I know levy-payers will be comfortable that the Potato Council will continue to provide its valuable support across the entire industry.
Burgess said:“I’m excited about getting the results of the Potato Council’s world-class scientific programme out onto farms.
“There are huge technical challenges facing potato growers, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to lead the programme to ensure that all growers are fully equipped to face these challenges armed with the best science-driven advice.”
After studying agricultural botany at the University College Wales, Burgess then did a PhD at Queens University, Belfast, doing his thesishis thesis on the spread of potato blackleg.
His working career in the industry commenced as an advisory plant pathologist at the North of Scotland College of Agriculture, (now Scotland’s Rural College – SRUC), where he advised on crop pathology and rapidly became a specialist in potato diseases, agronomy and storage.
After that, he took commercial roles; firstly as an agronomist with Beesons/MBM Produce, before joining The Co-operative Farms, where he was responsible for much of the ‘own growing’ programme for potatoes being supplied into the Co-op shops, variety development, training of farm managers, agronomic advice, and ensuring the best agronomic and storage practices were being implemented.
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