Potato Cyst Nematode: A Big Problem and A Solution
NFU Scotland’s potato working group want a legislation change to prohibit potatoes from being grown more than one year in six in any piece of land. This is a big ask. It will restrict what you can grow on your land and will reduce the supply of potato growing land, particularly in areas like Angus. NFU Scotland are engaging with the wider potato growing membership to understand the impact of this change, explore how legislation could change, and identify exactly what sort of change is needed.
Why lobby for a legislation change?
Potato Cyst Nematode (PCN) is a big problem. According to Scotland’s Plant Health Centre it has infested over 13% of land for growing potatoes and bulbs and is doubling every 7-8 years. This is an increase in spread of 5% per year. If PCN spread is allowed to continue losses of £125 million are predicted by 2040, and this figure excludes job losses and impacts on exports and the wider GB food industry. If trends continue it could mean the end of seed potato and bulb production across the whole of Scotland by 2050.
PCN populations can be reduced with a long crop rotation, so why is this not happening? A lot of land used to grow potatoes is rented on a seasonal basis, with high rental prices driving farm business decisions to rent land out for potatoes. As PCN populations increase, the supply of suitable land is reduced, increasing its rental value. In turn, high rental values incentivise shorter crop rotations, increasing PCN populations. This vicious circle makes the PCN problem worse. Short-term high rental income outweighs the longer-term benefits of reducing PCN populations, particularly when those renting the land out do not have potato enterprises themselves. A big problem like this needs a big solution – legislation change.
Potato plant health: an NFUS priority
Plant health has been identified as the potato working group’s biggest priority, and the working group are lobbying for changes to cement Scotland’s reputation as a high-quality potato producing nation. The working group have agreed the best way to tackle the PCN problem quickly is through legislation. This will complement other actions like resistant varieties, precision sampling, and good practice messaging about groundkeeper control. Without legislation change these actions are not enough to halt the spread of PCN.
In the longer term a legislation change will result in a growing, rather than shrinking, area of PCN-free land to grow potatoes. As the market for PCN-resistant varieties grows and other actions are put in place, PCN levels will fall more quickly. In the long-run potato growers throughout Scotland will all benefit from this change, and Scotland will maintain its reputation for high quality food and farming.