The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) reports that the country's market situation is virtually unchanged. The remaining high-quality packaged potatoes are sold as a premium product.
Data from the May IFA stockpile survey shows that stockpiles of “old harvest” potatoes are less than 30 tons, which corresponds to the level of the previous season, but significantly lower than in previous years.
We also note that in Ireland, the UK and several other European countries, extremely hot and dry weather persists. British households also suffered from a squally wind that hit a number of territories last weekend. The wind caused some damage to the crop, especially to early crops, as well as those grown on light soils.
According to the IFA, one of the key problems in all of Europe at the moment is drought. In the Netherlands, it is predicted that its consequences may be more serious than from the drought in 1976. Similar weather conditions are observed in the northern part of the Paris Basin in France, in Belgium and partially in Germany.