Gran Bretaña: DLG launches new event: Potato Days UK

(DLG).  With its new event “Potato Days UK”, the DLG (German Agricultural Society) is bringing to the UK its “Potato Days“ event series aimed at the potato value chain.  Premiering at Nocton Farm in Nocton, Lincolnshire, UK, 4-5 September 2024, the open-air trade fair will be organized by the DLG together with event partners Dyson Farming; the GB Potatoes organisation, the British umbrella organisation for the potato industry; AVR; Dewulf; GRIMME UK; McCain; the University of Lincoln; and UK Food Valley, the network for innovation in the food industry.

The Nocton Farm venue is owned by Dyson Farming, one of the largest agricultural and most innovative farm companies in the UK. Dyson Farming will be providing a total area of 20 hectares in the heart of the British potato region for Potato Days UK. The outdoor trade fair will not only offer trial plots but will also demonstrate innovative solutions for potato growing and processing within the exhibition and in live demonstrations.

"We are meeting the high demand of the UK potato industry for more practical information in the field  and we are therefore pleased to be bringing DLG’s Potato Days to Lincolnshire in the UK,” says Dr. Lars Huf, Project manager of Potato Days UK, DLG.

"Nocton Farm is the ideal location for Potato Days UK as it is easily accessible for potato industry professionals from the UK and Ireland. The farm also provides an excellent platform for innovative and science-based crop production. We are delighted to be working with leading companies and institutions in the British potato industry and we are convinced that Potato Days UK will be the starting signal for a successful new trade event," emphasizes Huf.

UK: an Important location for the potato industry

With a cultivation area of 137,000 hectares and an annual harvest of some 5.5 million tons, the UK is the fourth largest potato growing region in Western Europe after Germany, France and the Netherlands. Potato Days UK is aimed primarily at British and Irish producers of potatoes as well as the upstream and downstream sectors. Exhibitors from the entire value chain for the potato industry will be presenting their specialized machinery, concepts, equipment, services and solutions at Potato Days UK. Crop production professionals are expected to use the new platform to obtain in-depth information on varieties and seeds, production and processing technology, management issues and fertilization and crop protection strategies.

The main focus of Potato Days UK is on agricultural machinery, research and innovation. The accompanying technical program will offer presentations and networking opportunities on both event days. Exhibitors will present machinery for growing, harvesting and storing potatoes as well as solutions for handling, packaging and processing. Companies from the fields of research and consultancy will be showcasing forward-looking concepts. Potato Days UK offers potato marketers and traders, seed growers and the input industry the opportunity to present their services and innovations to trade fair visitors. Interested plant cultivation professionals can visit Potato Days UK free of charge when registering in advance.

The DLG, as part of its non-profit objective of offering local know-how for farmers, has been organizing a number of successful trade fairs for the potato industry. Potato Days events are held not only, as now,  in the UK but also in Turkey. DLG is organizer of PotatoEurope in the Netherlands and Germany, the international potato industry field exhibition. PotatoEurope takes place annually, alternating between four countries, Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands. The event covers potato cultivation and processing is on display at this special event with trial fields and machinery demonstrations.