THE SERIOUS risks to British crop protection and plant health due to Brexit uncertainty, were highlighted at BP2017 – the industry's main business event for potato growers and processors, this week.

Dr Sophie Churchill, chair of the AHDB Potatoes board, expressed growers’ concerns about access to plant protection products post-Brexit speaking to the assembled industry at the biannual ‘soil to shelf’ event, in Harrogate.

She called upon the industry as a whole to work together to ensure long-term sustainability and productivity, whatever the future crop protection scenario.

Dr Churchill said: “We don’t know how the crop protection landscape will look post-Brexit and until we know the outcomes of trade negotiations, we are looking at a prolonged period of uncertainty. At the same time, we are aware of potential increased momentum to look for a sustainable future for crop protection in Britain.”

She has spent much of her six months in the role visiting growers and others in the supply chain, and found the most common concern among farmers was the future of crop protection availability.

Commenting after Dr Churchill’s speech, grower Will Shakeshaft, of Spearhead Potatoes, said: “Over the past 10 years a number of seed treatments, herbicides and desiccants have been removed from our tool-kit. Growers have relied on the work of organisations such as AHDB to provide an evidence-base for potential replacements.

“Any sudden or unexpected changes connected to Brexit could leave us without proven replacements for lost products. The consequence could be lost crops or lower values and it will be farmers who will be most affected.”

AHDB said it managed 137 crop protection and plant health related research projects, with a combined spend of £4.92m across potatoes, horticulture and cereals and oilseeds. And Dr Churchill added: “Our strength in tackling this issue is not only to consider all potential crop protection scenarios – as we are already doing through our growing Horizon series which includes a report dedicated to crop protection – but also in working together.

“AHDB’s role is to provide a platform, to act as a catalyst for key organisations across agricultural sectors and to take a long-term view on the sustainability and productivity of the industry. We will, therefore, be leading a wider effort in research and innovation to ensure that the next generation of crop protection products meet these vital aims.

“We will be sharpening our focus on these issues throughout 2018. Growers will be able to access the latest thinking via our 'Farm excellence' platform of on-farm events and through future Horizon reports,” she told the audience at BP2017.