Actions taken Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, May de Kancha, With George Eustis, Minister of Industry, UK They are positive, and potatoes can continue to be exported to the United Kingdom as the Balearic Islands have been doing so far despite Brexit.
The United Kingdom responded to a letter sent by the councilor on February 5, asking that a one-year moratorium be established so as not to miss this year’s harvest, or that the initial instruction to maintain exports be changed. Conditions as before. The British Minister finally accepted the change in the instruction on export terms.
According to de la Concha, the United Kingdom’s positive response was “very good news, the most important contract for our potatoes, which accounts for 70 per cent of total Spanish exports to the United Kingdom, and more than 100 jobs depend on the work we save with this deal”.
The regional minister stressed that it was a sector with an annual revenue of about six million euros and that “the whole orchard of this potato has already been made, which is mainly destined for the British market, which could not have missed the harvest”.
The problem started as a result of Brexit, when potatoes were classified as a high priority product, a phytosanitary certificate, document certification, identification control and prior notice to exporting companies in the producing countries were required..
This does not mean ‘Globodora behrens’ and ‘Globodora rostokensis’, two types of nematodes that are naturally present in Mallorca soil, but they have always been restricted for consumption.
In fact, one of the requested options is the possibility of modifying the algorithm for phytosanitary certification, replacing its wording with another, stating that parcels containing these two types of Globotora adhere to standards set by the National Regulatory Regulatory Authority, so they are safe. It was finally acquired by the Department of Agriculture of the British Government.
In this sense, the Director General of Agriculture, Fernando Fernandes, wanted to highlight that they have worked with government representatives and the Ministry of Agriculture to find a quick solution to a problem that was so prevalent on the island that manufacturers and exporters are worried that the entire crop planted in the 2021 season, which begins in March, will be lost.
“It highlights the experience and a job the potato industry has been doing on the island for many years.” Precisely, the UK’s leading potato exporters are very satisfied with the department’s quick management and have rated the deal very favorably due to the importance of the British market to the sector.
It should be remembered that this trade relationship dates back to 1927, the year when British consumers were always able to enjoy Mallorgan potatoes, a year when no new seasonal crops were available in their country. Since then, 5,000 tonnes of potatoes leave the UK each year between March and June, where they are highly valued.
