European Potato Growers Concerned About Ban of an Anti-Germinative

The European potato sector is concerned by the possible ban from July 31 of the anti-germinative Chlorpropham (CIPC), which is used to prevent the germination of the tubers while they are in storage.

It is currently approved for the 2018/19 campaign, but it seems that it could not be authorized for the next campaign, as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has advised against it.

The vote on the renewal of the authorization, both for its use as herbicide and anti-germinative, had been scheduled for last December's meeting of the Permanent Committee for Plants and Animals; however, in the end, the vote did not take place. In any case, it is still expected to take place soon.

French producers believe that if the anti-germinative is banned, the storage period will be shorter, so one of the solutions would be to stagger the crops from spring to autumn. The fear that the authorization won't be renewed has motivated the interprofessional (AHDB de patata) to create a fund for aid with storage with 900,000 Euro, given the uncertainty and challenges ahead for British potato growers this year (after a difficult campaign).

The AHDB has already been investing 900,000 Euro a year in research on storage and knowledge exchange. It also has a group of storage experts ready to offer advice to professionals.

Source: Fresh Plaza