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Farmers could be driven out of market

Thursday, 26 January 2012

Robin Swann MLA and member of the Agriculture Committee seated centre with Adrian Jamison UFU Potato Committee seated 2nd from right and Sandra Hunter Vice Chair Moyle Council meeting with local Potato growers at Bushmills Community Centre.

POTATO farmers across North Antrim could be forced out of the industry within the next 12 months unless tonnage prices for the crop improve, according to the chairman of the Ulster Farmers' Union Potato Policy Committee. Speaking at a meeting to discuss the problem in Bushmills last Friday, Adrian Jamison suggested that supermarkets had "ruined the potato market" for growers, many of whom are receiving as little as 1p and 2p per potato.
North Antrim MLA Robin Swann, who was also in attendance, heard that farmers are currently losing as much as £50 a tonne due to the bargaining power exerted by packers, processors and multinational superstores.
Farmers have also been asked to scale back potato production by as much as 25 per cent after countries like Germany flooded the market with surplus amounts. "This is a Europe-wide problem," explained Mr Jamison, "and it's costing growers like me dearly."
The problem has become so bad that some farmers have been left with no choice but to dump some of their cold store stock as the cost of keeping it would never been recouped from their sale.
Growers said: "We are now at the stage where packers can say to the farmer, 'You grow what you can and we'll take what we need'. It's the same for everybody, whether you have a contract with a packer or not. Normally at this time of the year there would be a push on to dig the last remaining acres of potatoes from the fields, but with prices being so bad, many are asking themselves, 'What's the point'?
“Supermarkets are only interested in one thing: making as big a profit margin as they possibly can. If they buy something from us for 50p, they will look to sell it for £1."
It is understood that the Ulster Farmers' Union has been calling on the supermarket ombudsman to look into the pricing practices adopted by Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's.
To compound matters, prolonged spells of inclement weather during September, October and November meant many fields across the North West were off limits, with estimates suggesting that 1,000 acres of potatoes are yet to be harvested.
Potatoes being shipped in to the Province from farms operating across the south of England, and increasing quantities of Cyprus potatoes appearing on shop shelves, have also hit local farmers hard.
“There are too many potatoes coming in, and not enough of our own being sold," Mr Jamison argued. "It might be OK for a few weeks in July and August, but not the whole year round.
“If things continue as they are, and we don't see prices improving over the course of this year and into next, then we can expect to see potato farmers packing it in - and who would blame them?"
Neil Fleming, a pig and potato farmer from outside Bushmills, added: "If it does come to that, and the machinery is sold, what happens then? Certainly it would cost too much for them to start back up again."

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