Irlanda: Irish potato sector faces challenges with rising costs and weather impacts

At the 2024 national potato conference, Gorman initiated his discourse by reflecting on the sector’s difficult situation last year, emphasizing its importance within the horticulture domain with a €85 million turnover at the farm gate.

October 2023 experienced widespread flooding, creating challenging harvest conditions for growers. While the majority managed to harvest their crops, some did not, leading to crop losses exacerbated by subsequent frosts. These conditions had financial repercussions for the affected farmers. Gorman noted a supply shortage towards the 2023 season’s end, further strained by delayed plantings in 2024. However, the current harvest season shows improvement, with most fieldwork completed.

Gorman highlighted the concern over rising input costs, a common issue across agriculture sectors, affecting potato growers in terms of sourcing seed and suitable land. Costs for fertilizer, seed, chemicals, and machinery have escalated at the grower level. He also mentioned that Ireland’s five main supermarkets raised potato prices this year, a move he described as positive and overdue. Despite global events, potato prices did not see a significant increase immediately after the Ukraine conflict outbreak.

Potatoes continue to be an essential part of the Irish diet. Gorman underscored the role of the Office of the Food Regulator, established a year ago, in ensuring compliance with unfair trading laws and facilitating information flow within the agri-food chain. He called for the agriculture minister to legislate the provision of timely data to the regulator’s office, emphasizing the need for cooperation among all stakeholders in the farming and food chain.

Source: Agriland