Dutch courage: The potato covenant model shows the way
27 maart 2020 – Across the channel in the Netherlands a remarkable thing is happening. The whole supply chain has worked together through the ‘Potato Covenant’ to shift the organic potato sector to 100% use of robust, blight-resistant varieties.
Potato late blight (Phytophthora infestans) is the most important potato disease in the world. There has been a lot of effort gone into conventional breeding of blight resistant varieties. But, the introduction of novel cultivars often meets with … er…resistance as retailers’ and/or consumers’ awareness must be raised in order to open the market. Resistance is an important issue for farmers but not one that immediately resonates with consumers.
