ESPG argues for collective acceptance of seed J ust imagine that you are a Belgian seed potato grower and you export a batch of potatoes to another EU country. Upon sampling in that other country, the possible presence of ring rot is reported. It is then mid February. All doors, including those at home, on the farm, are then locked. You are visited by your own inspection service. Within a few days, their conclusion arrives: nothing was found. Then there are more tests by your inspection services in the export country, after which the results of these tests are compared with the export country’s own tests. Here again, nothing was found. You must then wait for the official clean bill of health, which arrives two months later. It is then the end of April. The result is that you still have all your seed in the storeroom and the market is closed. Your seed is now worth nothing. Who is going to pay for that? This is a true story, says Upt Hiddema, the new Chairman of the ESPG and his expression suggests this could also happen to you. As an independent seed potato grower in the Frisian village of Holwerd, Hiddema knows what he is talking about. As a representative of the Dutch seed potato growers at LTO (Dutch Federation of Agricultural and Horticultural Organisations), the PCC (Seed Potato Contact Committee) and the ESPG, he can very well imagine how a grower then feels. ‘It is our task to prevent this type of terrible situation from happening’, says the leader militantly. “Maintain both certification and cultivation standards at the highest possible level.” Could you please first tell us what ESPG actually stands for? ‘ESPG is an abbreviation of the European Seed Potato Growers Association. In the Netherlands, we call the organisation the European Committee of Seed Potato Growers. It’s part of the general task force for consumption, starch and seed potatoes of Copa Cogeca. Copa-Cogeca is the European association of farmers’ organisations such as LTO Nederland and the cooperative trade which includes Agrico, for example. I’m here because of the Dutch Agricultural Marketing Board, as a result of which I also represent the Dutch Arable Union (NAV). To represent their interests more effectively, the seed potato growers have been meeting within the ESPG since 2010. Together we are stronger, is our credo. During our meetings, we discuss the problems we’re all encountering in the seed potato branch. We try to come to a common viewpoint on them. If we don’t succeed, we all follow our individual paths.’ Does that happen a lot? ‘No, fortunately not and it’s definitely not the best way. For us, as the Dutch seed potato sector, it’s very important that all seed potato producing countries agree on important issues, as we have an enormous export market-share and its economic importance is immense. Of course, we have to compromise a lot, but you can now view developments from different angles which means a broader support base for each other’s problems. This is more important now that other countries such as France, Scotland, Denmark and Germany are also producing more seed potatoes. But the interests of the Dutch growers are the greatest. Because of the enormous pressure on our exports, it’s important to place matters in a European context in order to maintain our export position. This means it’s important to create a level playing field. Because of our expensive land and cultivation process, the cost price in Holland is the highest in Europe. To earn this back in the market, it’s important to maintain both certification and cultivation standards at the highest possible level. This applies to the Netherlands, but also to other countries. Countries like Poland should also be able to grow seed, of course. Our S, SE, and E material, however, should remain as the absolute best. If that is no longer the case, growers from other countries will look elsewhere simply because Dutch seed is a great deal more expensive than homegrown seed or the seed from other countries. That’s why Dutch seed potato growers must be sharp in order to remain at the top. Stay alert and keep a sharp eye on developments, is our message.’ The Dutch seed potato sector has a lot to lose. If things go a bit wrong, we’re in for it. Could you, as the Chairman, remain impartial in such a situation? ‘Everything that happens in the Netherlands is scrutinised ruthlessly by trade merchants and organisations in other countries. The Scots are particularly good at that. Whenever they 4 Potato World 2012 • number 1 Pagina 3
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