Alert after Dutch potato disease found in Scotland

THE discovery of a highly infectious crop disease in a field of potatoes near Coupar Angus has shocked Scottish seed potato growers this week.

Dickeya solani causes the tubers and haulm to rot, and outbreaks in England have been linked to purchases of seed potatoes from the Netherlands, which has suffered several outbreaks.

Efforts have been made to keep it out of Scotland. Last year, the Scottish potato industry grew some 28,000 hectares of crop with an estimated 130 million worth of produce.

The Scottish industry even set up a "safe haven" programme intended to prevent seed coming from areas faced with infection.

Now, it appears that seed of a new Dutch bred variety called Innovator has been brought north from England and planted in the centre of a major seed growing area in Perthshire.

The variety has been grown mainly for the processing market, but it is believed that a major Scottish based pre-packer has expressed an interest in using it for the fresh market in response to supermarket demands.

The Scottish Government, through its agency, Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture, has already said the crop will be destroyed as soon as possible and the seed put to landfill.

However, Dickeya solani can live in the soil for a long time and can be spread through water courses, with potentially serious implications for other growers downstream.

The infection is currently limited to one field on one farm and was picked up as part of a Scottish Government inspection.