Potato Council Report July 2025

Market Report

It has been a challenging season for potato growers to date. Market challenges are persistent in the sector. While early-year retail sales were stable, driven by cooler conditions over winter, consumption has noticeably slowed since Christmas. Sales of larger pack sizes have definitely fallen back which reduces volumes moving out of stores.  This decline is attributed to unseasonably warm spring temperatures encouraging a shift toward lighter meals, reducing household demand for potatoes. Compounding this trend is the continued expansion of the Irish Government’s Hot School Meals Programme, which now reaches over 345,000 pupils nationwide. The procurement policy for these meals is not necessarily focused on including local Irish produce, IFA is investigating this.   Also, with children receiving full cooked lunches during school days, many families are preparing fewer evening meals at home, resulting in lower weekly potato usage.

Major heat in European countries has supressed consumption and sales. There are few signs of hope for the old trade but it does appear that growers have made relatively good progress emptying stores. The peeling market has also been affected with prices in the peeling sector taking a hit. The holiday period should increase demand for this sector. Early crops of premiere, home guard and queen came onto the market timely this year and so far, there has been good demand and stable prices. 

Input costs continue to put pressure on the sector and have increased again in 2025. In 2025, limited availability of suitable land has become a significant cost driver for Irish potato growers. Competition from other sectors along with environmental regulations and nitrate restrictions, has tightened access to rotational ground, pushing conacre rental prices up by over 40% since 2021 in some areas. The cost and availability of plant protection products continues to worsen. 

Planted Acreage 2025 according to BISS Figures

Potatoes	2024 (ha)	2025 (ha)	Change (ha)
Early	863	916	+52
Maincrop	8183	7327	-856
Seed	242	300	+58

The planted acreage for 2025 season is illustrated in the above table according to figures submitted to DAFM for basic payment applications. Notable is the decrease of 856 ha of maincrop. In 2024 there was a 1000ha increase in planted area so this should bring it back in line with previous years acreage.  

Food Regulator 

IFA continues to engage with the office of the Food Regulator and further meetings with the CEO are arranged. Niamh Lenehan, CEO of the office addressed IFA’s National Horticulture and Potato meeting in February.  IFA continues to lobby for a Statutory Instrument to give the office additional powers to compel actors in the food chain to provide information to the office of the regulator upon request. 

Activity since last Council

• A Potato Committee meeting took place in the Irish Farm centre on May 26^th. The main agenda items included;
• retailer meetings
• markets
• plant protection products
• seed potato. 
• IFA has extensively lobbied for a temporary derogation for seed to be imported from Scotland. In May, the EU and the UK have agreed a new strategic partnership. Seed potato will be able to resume trade to the EU. The UK and the EU Commission will now work towards establishing a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement. 
• IFA representatives attended the Crop Open Day in Teagasc last month and met with Minister Healy-Rae at the event.
• IFA representatives attended the Agri Food Regulator Conference on May 20^th on Johnstown Estate. 
• IFA attended a number of the Horticulture Industry Forum sub-group meetings. 
• IFA continues to lobby for all potato farmers to be excluded from commercial rates as per the Valuation Act. In recent years there has been an increase in inspections on potato, tillage and horticulture premises by Local Government on behalf of the Valuation Office. Inspectors are deeming storage sheds, packing sheds, and washing bays rateable. These buildings are not rateable by virtue of constituting “Farm buildings” as defined in the Valuation Act 2001. If a precedent is set, then almost all agriculture buildings could be viewed as rateable, creating potentially disastrous consequences for all agriculture sectors. Accordingly, the current exemption is not fit for purpose.
• IFA is in the process of meeting with retailers and packers to discuss supply of potatoes for the upcoming season.  
• IFA continues to lobby to ensure farmers are exempt from residential zoned land tax (RZLT). 
• IFA attended a COPA working party meeting on potatoes in March. 
• IFA applied for an emergency use authorisation for Diquat for the 2025 season.

Upcoming Activity/Events

• IFA will continue to monitor the origin of produce with the use of Isotope testing.
• IFA continues to engage with retailers on crop availability and setting up of meetings with retailer buyers and packers during this critical period. 
• IFA will continue to contact growers to ensure they are aware of the costs of production and engage in stocks/acreage surveys.