The British Potato Council (BPC) is reporting strong interest among growers for a new potato safe-havens certification scheme to combat ring rot.

BPC seed and export manager Iain Dykes said the excellent response from both seed and ware potato growers was not surprising given the potent threat of the disease.

“Most people also recognise that this opportunity to exclude it will not last forever and, if lost, will not come again. The disease is notoriously difficult to detect and visual inspection or sampling regimes alone are not sufficient to protect us,” he claimed.

The BPC instigated the voluntary scheme following an isolated case of ring rot in Wales.

Under the scheme’s regulations all members must use seed from sources guaranteed ring rot-free. And procedures for use of machinery, storage and transport are in place to ensure it remains clear from multiplication to delivery.

Dykes said the scheme would add minimal cost for growers in time or money since it has been developed alongside farm assurance organisations.

Therefore growers already part of an assurance scheme will be able to add safe haven accreditation to their existing audit for about £50, while non-assurance scheme members will be charged around £150 per year.

Dr Gerry Saddler of the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency said the UK industry should grasp the opportunity to remain disease-free having witnessed its destructive potential in the US.

Saddler says the biggest risk of ring rot comes from tubers harbouring latent or low-levels of infection, which is spread during subsequent stages of production.

In the US, the exchange of machinery between farms and the cutting of seed increases the risk of spreading the infection but the UK has the capacity to avoid such damage by following the safe haven methodology, he explains.

“In Britain we are currently free of the disease and our seed growers have access to seed potatoes generated from officially produced, pathogen-free potato microplants,” he claimed.

“So, if we also adopt good step by step hygiene procedures to avoid introducing the disease from other sources, we gain a very worthwhile level of protection.”

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