It’s been an extraordinary spring weatherwise - chances are you’ve already remarked several times how early nature has erupted into life, making planting and lifting easier. But a changing climate and its implications for farmers and society as a whole warrant a lot more than just a passing comment for potato growers.

Let’s start with the positives, and there’s now a wealth of resources available for go-ahead growers who want to future-proof their business. A good place to start is www.farmingfutures.org.uk. Here you’ll find a series of fact sheets put together by a partnership between Forum for the Future, the NFU, CLA and Applied Research Forum - the combined R&D acumen of all the levy boards. These offer sector-specific advice on making the most of the opportunities afforded by climate change, such as ease of crop management, new market openings and improved control of certain diseases.

It’s equally important to identify the downsides and how these affect your business. Water is likely to become a more precious resource, which is why the BPC has fought hard with the industry’s help to promote responsible water use - more information is available at www.potato.org.uk/water.

While water may become scarcer, when it falls it’s likely to fall in harder, more concentrated bursts, and this has another set of implications for soil status and water quality. These are areas in which Defra and Brussels are keen to legislate, and again the BPC is leading the way on interpreting this new legislation, and discovering the production benefits for growers - more information is available at www.potato.org.uk/soils.

Increases in temperature and humidity have other implications, particularly for the pests and diseases in potato crops, both in the field and the store. And there’s your own carbon footprint to consider. The BPC’s research programme is constantly evolving and adapting to the industry’s changing needs. We go to great lengths to find out from levy-payers what their priorities are. We tailor and update R&D programmes and put considerable resources into relaying the findings back to the industry.

From disease diagnostics to reducing energy costs, there’s now a wealth of publications that translate the results of this research into practical implications and easy-to-use guides - more details are available through the BPC website or by calling BPC Publications on 01865 782222 (open 24 hours).

Keep an eye out over the next few months for more information from the BPC on the business implications of climate change. We’re working hard with other organisations to ensure the industry is prepared for the costs and can make the most of opportunities - it’s up to all growers to ensure they apply this knowledge to their business.