PSI Bulletin: February 2025
No. 02/25 SUBSCRIBER EDITION: please go to potatostorageinsight.com/subscribe to sign up as a Synopsis subscriber.
Dear Subscriber,
Welcome to the February edition of Synopsis.
Just as a reminder - to elaborate on last month's best practice slot - his time of year has a habit of delivering surprises to store managers, so it is really important to keep a close, detailed eye on crops, to inspect them thoroughly and to get a good appreciation of the 'state of play' in stores, before the demands of spring field work take over.
That links nicely to the topic of seed which is covered in our Best Practice slot this month with both seed handling and treatment guidance featured.
Our Technical Insight feature this month is the CIPC Residues Management Group's release for its 2024/25 data call. The campaign is called Just One Test and includes feedback on the submissions made in 2023/24 and highlights the need to continue collecting data to support the temporary maximum residue level of 0.35 mg/kg.
PSI activity
As hinted in last month's Synopsis, PSI will again be working with Simon Faulkner at SDF Agriculture plus many other partner organisations, to bring you a practical, grower-focused Potato Storage Day on Wednesday 21st May. PLEASE SAVE THE DATE IN YOUR DIARIES! It will be a half day event from 9.30 am to lunchtime with a light lunch provided. All welcome. Our venue will be at Holbeach in south Lincolnshire.
The programme is still being finalised but, if you are interested in being a partner and having a stand or getting involved in the day's technical programme, please drop Adrian or Simon an email or give them a call: Adrian Cunnington 07970 072260 adrian@potatostorageinsight.com
Simon Faulkner 07850 649719 simon@sdf-agriculture.co.uk
Thank you to those who have already been in touch; we will be contacting you very soon.
Next month sees the latest iteration of the PSI Potato Store Managers' Course with 25 delegates signed up to spend a couple of days with us in Rutland focusing on all things storage.
Best practice
Seed handling
Handling seed correctly when it arrives on farm is an important step in the potato production process, Getting it wrong can initiate a sequence of events that has the potential to compromise the entire crop down the line...
A key measure to ensure quality is not compromised in even short-term storage is to ensure it stays dry.
For economic and logistical reasons most seed is going to arrive in bags. Once a seed crop is transferred to a jumbo bag, this can be a challenge as - despite most bags being 'ventilated' - there is no real way to drive air through the crop. This leads to heat build-up in the centre of the bag making the outer layers very susceptible to condensation. If this happens, disease can quickly develop from dormant spores on the seed and this will then compromise seed quality.
Best practice demands that, at the very least, bags are handled in a way to allow air to permeate the base of the bag. Do not place bags straight on to solid floors as this will block all air circulation. If you have a ventilated floor that's great. Alternatively, stack jumbo bags on pallets immediately on receipt. But only do this for very short term storage. It is far better
if seed can be handled, or decanted into, one tonne boxes. Ventilate these to manage temperature and minimise condensation.
There is further advice on seed storage in the Seed Storage Guide which is still available on the AHDB archive and can be freely downloaded.
Seed treatment
A reminder that there remains a useful document entitled Potato tuber treatments on the AHDB website at https://horticulture.ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/potato-tuber-treatments
It can be freely downloaded.
The guidance allows you to:
Determine the likely disease loading of your seed potatoes
Assess the risk of soilborne disease from your proposed site
Consider which varieties your customer requires and are best suited to the identified disease risks
Plan a growing strategy to minimise the risk of disease development by using suitable tuber treatment
Consider treatment options where risk is greatest
Plan how and when treatments are most likely to be effective
Please note that the associated (2019) insert on chemicals is not up to date and therefore should not be used. Speak to your BASIS agronomist for current recommendations on chemical treatment of seed or go to the Pesticides Register of Authorised Plant Protection Products
Technical insight
JUST ONE TEST: CIPC Residues Monitoring Group needs your data (again) please!
In 2024, the CIPC Residues Monitoring Group submitted 102 residue data results from potato samples held in stores during 2023/24. The stores had been previously treated with CIPC (chlorpropham) at some time in their history.
These data were voluntarily submitted to the Group, on an anonymous basis, in answer to a request to the potato industry for information from the Health & Safety Executive to allow the suitability of the new temporary maximum residue level for CIPC to be assessed. A graphical summary of the data is shown in Figure 1.
The graph shows a high number of residues (78) which are at or below the Limit of Detection (LoD, 0.01 mg/kg, denoted by the green symbols). There was one exceedance of the tMRL (red symbol).
The remaining 23 samples (blue symbols) were at a level which exceeded the LoD but not the temporary MRL (tMRL, 0.35 mg/kg). These are the important samples here as they represent data from stores where there is still sufficient CIPC present to exceed the LoD but the levels are comfortably within the tMRL. If the tMRL had not been put in place, the samples from the 22.5% of stores shown in blue would have resulted in exceedances.
It is important for industry to continue to supply monitoring data to retain the temporary MRL. HSE will then continue to oversee this to ensure the tMRL is set at an appropriate level.
Just One Test is all CRMG needs from each potato store previously treated at any time with CIPC. If you have such stores, where crops are held for at least two months in the 2024/25 season, please provide data from your regular multi-residue testing to allow this to be used as part of the CRMG submission to be submitted in August 2025. We require 125 samples for the next data call, so new contributors are always welcome.
If you can help, please contact adrian@potatostorageinsight.com and you will be sent a simple data form (or download it via the link) to return with a copy of your lab result sheet. It’s as simple as that - but a vital role potato store managers can play to assist our industry.
The Group has extended its data request in Scotland through the recent SACAPP Conference where CRMG member Simon Alexander gave a short presentation on the Group's work and results to date.
Improving Farm Productivity Grants:
Round 2 for invited applicants
Significant grants are now available for battery storage on farms which could open up new avenues for the use of renewables in storage. Most potato stores run optimally at night so this limits the opportunity for using solar energy. But batteries have the potential to change the status quo...
NFU Online has recently reported on the latest round of Improving Farm Productivity Grants: "Since round 1 concluded, Defra spent a lot of time considering the feedback from stakeholders and applicants on how the first round of this grant could be improved. But the second round will be for invited applicants only; those who met the eligibility criteria that formed part of round 1.
Taking on board the feedback Defra received, and acknowledging a long term NFU ask, the minimum grant threshold for round 2 has been decreased to £25,000, from £35,000 for round 1. The solar theme for round 2 also has a lower threshold of £15,000, allowing as many farms as possible to submit a proposal to enhance their businesses with the latest sustainable technology.
Solar funding
This is a major theme focusing solely on solar PV (photovoltaic) technology. The minimum grant for this theme is £15,000 and the maximum is £100,000. This will contribute to your £500,000 limit per applicant business, but this will be across two applications for both themes.
The items eligible for funding under this theme includes:
solar PV panels
solar batteries
inverters
electric grid connection
utility meters and power diverters.
The grant will not fund ground-based solar panels, replacing or repairing roofs for solar panel installation, construction of new buildings to house solar panels, nor will it fund upgrading existing solar technology. Alternatively, funding can be used to install a system on an irrigation reservoir, including the supporting floating cradle. In all cases, it is the farmers’ responsibility to ensure the reservoir or building roof is suitable to support the solar panel system.
The grant cannot pay for other renewable energy generation projects such as anaerobic digester plants, there is also an additional requirement that solar panels cannot be installed on north facing buildings, or those in a heavily shaded area.
Funding should only be used for Solar PV systems to provide power to farms and installed on farm buildings. It cannot be used to fund residential solar power systems. However, funding can be used to invest in batteries, as well as connecting the system to the national grid to export surplus power.
If you’re considering solar PV panels as part of your project, NFU Energy has a renewable energy solutions service offering access to leading renewable energy installers, finance and insurance. Their team can support you at every stage of your renewables journey, from securing all the necessary quotes required, to installer introductions, as well as providing ongoing assistance to ensure everything happens smoothly.
Claiming your grant
If shortlisted after applying for this grant, the process for claiming remains similar to round 1. Over the course of the project, there will be three opportunities to submit a claim; the staging and timing of these will be subject to your agreement with the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).
The deadline for full applications to be submitted to the RPA is 23.59 on 31 July 2025.
Grants will be paid in arrears, and the final claim submitted must be at least 15% of the total claim value. Claims can only be made against work which has been completed and paid for.
It is crucial that work does not start, nor is any money spent before the project start date. This includes entering into any legal contracts or placing an order for supplies or equipment. Note that incurring costs before the start date on your agreement may invalidate your entire agreement, as the project could be considered as having already started.
Successful applicants will also need to follow any guidance from the RPA regarding acknowledgement and publicity of the grant. There are template forms available for this on the RPA’s website."
More at:
Snippets
New storage research funded at Cranfield University
Potato News Today reported earlier this month on new research funding secured by Cranfield University in collaboration with Pepsico to develop new potato varieties and storage methods that:
Extend storage life: reducing food waste and ensuring year-round supply.
Lower energy consumption: minimising the environmental impact of cold storage.
Reduce chemical use: promoting sustainable agriculture practices.
"With a grant from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) prosperity partnership fund, the project to enhance potato dormancy brings together expertise in genetics, plant biology, and technology".
PSI believes that underpinning potato production with better varieties specifically selected for their storage characteristics has been long overdue. This is because it reduces risk, limits the need for store management interventions and reduces reliance on chemical solutions for long term storage.
AKP announces acquisition of Whole Crop Marketing
AKP Group, one of the largest potato producers in the UK, announced last month that it had acquired Yorkshire-based Whole Crop Marketing (WCM).
WCM will continue to operate under its established name as part of the wider AKP Group, with the current team remaining in place under Richard Arundel who is Group MD. He said "WCM joining the Group represents a strategic step forward in our mission to becoming the UK's leading supply chain for our customers and growers. Combining our expertise, infrastructure and resources will strengthen the supply chain for our customers, minimise risk for our growers and support the long-term success of UK agriculture."
Forthcoming events
If you are hosting a potato or agricultural industry event, please send details to admin@potatostorageinsight.com. Key dates with relevance to the potato sector in the coming months in the UK include:
February
Mon 24 HL Hutchinson Potato Update & Results Meeting,
Boston Football Club, Pilgrim Way, Wyberton, PE21 7NE. 12pm - 4pm RSVP to 01945 461177. Details at http://hutchinsons.co.uk/event
Tue 25 CUPGRA research review and AGM, Cambridge
March
Tue 4 - Wed 5 PSI Store Managers' Course for 2025, Oakham, Rutland.
See PSI Activity above.
Tue 4 Scottish Society for Crop Research, Potato Committee: Winter Meeting
Crop Innovation Centre, James Hutton Institute, Dundee. 1030-1530.
Details: jennie.brierley@hutton.ac.uk
May
Wed 21 Potato Storage Day organised by SDF Agriculture and Potato Storage Insight at Holbeach
Save the date! See further information above. More details to follow soon.
June
Wed 11- Fri 13 EuroPatat Congress, Lille, France
Tue 17 CUPGRA field day, Cambridge
August
Thu 7 Potatoes in Practice. James Hutton Institute, Dundee.
November
Wed 19 - Thu 20 BP2025 - the British Potato Event, Yorkshire Event Centre, Harrogate
Exhibition, seminars and industry awards dinner. Save the date!
Details from: bpinfo@warnersgroup.co.uk
Please note that you, or a colleague, can subscribe to Synopsis at any time by going to potatostorageinsight.com and clicking on SUBSCRIBE. We can also now take payments by credit card. Call Adrian on +44 (0)7970 072260 if you have any questions.
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Synopsis is written by Adrian Cunnington and published by Potato Storage Insight Ltd., 45 Main St., Gedney Dyke, Spalding, PE12 0AJ. UK.
© Potato Storage Insight Ltd. 2025
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