The UK Food Valley was delighted to welcome Potato Days UK, hosted by Dyson Farming at Nocton, on 4th and 5th of September.

While the weather was a little unseasonal for early September, the event was a great success and was the first time that live harvesting demonstrations have been held in the UK for over 20 years. These demonstrations allowed visitors to see the latest harvesters, cleaners and loaders all working before the potatoes were dispatched to McCains for processing.

As well as the in-field demonstrations, the event included over 100 trade stands, some with demonstration plots, and a series of panel discussions on important industry issues. The Lincolnshire Agricultural Society helped to organise the event and supported the event promoters, DLG (the German Agricultural Association) in bringing this prestigious event to Lincoln.

The industry panel sessions were organised by DLG in partnership with UK Food Valley, Dyson Farms and the University of Lincoln, and covered a wide range of topics from soils and water, to the role of automation and whether it is possible to produce net zero potatoes.

Key conclusions included:

  • Automation and data - there is still further to go with technology and  the full power of data and AI is still yet to be felt
  • Water - there is a need to capture and store more water at times of peak flow and to focus on holistic water management to meet future needs in a changing climate
  • Net zero potatoes - while producing net zero potatoes is very challenging, and harder than many other crops, investment and innovations in the industry mean a lot of progress on carbon footprint has already been made. With the right commitments, net zero potatoes within a decade are potentially possible and companies in the UK Food Valley such as Branston Potatoes and McCains are working hard to deliver major carbon reductions.

The panel session finished with a policy panel chaired by Mark Taylor, industry leader and Chair of GB Potatoes, which included former DEFRA Secretary of State, George Eustice, who farms in Cornwall and now acts as advisor for Emerald Research, Grace O’Dwyer from HSBC, James Young from McCain and Debbie Winstanley of CUPGRA. The panel concluded that there can be a bright future for the UK potato industry, but to achieve this we all need to focus on how we can work together and unite around a clear long-term plan, something the UK Food Valley is very pleased to endorse.

The UK Food Valley looks forward to welcoming this biennial event to the UK again in 2026.