§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of this autumn's weather conditions on the storage of this year's national potato crop; and what advice her Department has issued to growers and producers on the correct conditions for the mass storage of potatoes. [20136]
§ Mr. MorleyThe assessment of the impact of this autumn's weather conditions, and advice to growers on potato storage, have been undertaken by the British Potato Council (BPC). This non-departmental public body was established in 1997 as a statutory levy funded development council. The BPC has kept growers informed of conditions throughout harvesting and warned of the necessity for careful store management and monitoring to overcome the effects of poor field conditions. The Council has also set up a telephone helpline to provide storage advice, published storage advice sheets and regularly updates storage advice on its website.