This year's crop of Jersey Royal potatoes is proving too big for British consumers, leading to growers having to leave their crop rotting in the field.
A combination of rain, sun and mild temperatures created perfect growing conditions earlier this year, but as a result, many potatoes are larger than the ideal size of 2.5cm to 5cm, according to Mail Online.
The news outlet reports that supermarkets are refusing to buy the potatoes, meaning as well being made to leave the crop on their land, growers are also having to give tons of cast-offs to charity.
Tim Ward, sales and distribution director at Albert Bartlett potatoes, said his firm aims to produce potatoes no bigger than 50mm in diameter. Any larger, he told Mail Online, and customers gripe about having to slice them into pieces to cook them.
He added: 'We’re producing plenty of potatoes the right size, but a good percentage have gone beyond that. The quality is exceptional but sadly people don’t want new potatoes the size of baking potatoes.
'There is high wastage. Some of it gets returned to fields and a small amount for dairy fodder. There isn’t a lot we can do with it.'
Ward told Mail Online the problem was being exacerbated by a huge surplus of potatoes across Europe and the rest of the UK, which has also enjoyed perfect growing conditions.
The massive crop is in stark contrast to last year when snow, frost and rain caused major delays to the Jersey Royal season and led to 10,000 tonnes fewer being exported.
The crop was still worth £30 million to the island in exports last year, however, in spite of the setbacks.
Ward said: 'This has been the best growing season since 1997, when they generated 58,000 tonnes of crop.
'It’s been incredible and there has been nothing to stop the crop growing.Normally you’d get frost or north-easterly winds or really wet or really dry weather, but we’ve had a perfect growing season.'
William Church, director of sales and marketing at the Jersey Royal Company, said his firm is experiencing a similar problem, with his potatoes growing so large that up to 50 per cent of the crop could be wasted.
He told Mail Online: 'Last year each plant was producing between four and six potatoes but this year plants are producing between 10 and 12.
'It’s been a little bit of rain, little bit of warmth, no frost or harsh winds so the quality and availability has been fantastic.
'This time last year, the crops were really hammered by weather conditions - we’ve gone from chalk to cheese.
'We have a lot of competition coming in from the markets and there are a huge amount of English potatoes also being offered.'
