Jersey Royals: Hopes for a good season as planting gets under way

Jersey Royals: Hopes for a good season as planting gets under way

This time last year they were facing severe losses as the worst weather conditions in four decades put planting back by a month.

Jersey Farmers Union president Peter Le Maistre said: ‘The weather was a bit more unsettled last week, and we had a cold night from Saturday to Sunday morning, but I don’t think any damage was done, as only a handful of potatoes are beginning to show.’

Persistent rainfall over the winter of 2017 and 2018, and severe frosts from late February and March last year – when the Beast from the East hit the British Isles – had a devastating effect on farmers. Sub-zero temperatures wiped out much of the very early crop while waterlogged fields set planting back by a month.

The Island’s biggest potato grower, The Jersey Royal Company, expects to plant 120 million seed potatoes in a combined area of around 8,000 vergées this year.

Marketing director William Church said: ‘Generally everything is very positive and the weather has been kind to us. We are currently in line with where we would like and expect to be with regards to planting.’

However, the staff shortages that farmers are facing across the UK and Europe could cause problems when digging begins.

‘At the moment staffing levels are not too bad but one or two farmers are struggling to find staff,’ Mr Le Maistre said. ‘We are still pursuing different means to find labour and we need to have something resolved by the end of this month.’

Following an appeal from the JFU last year because of an industry-wide labour shortage, Home Affairs changed immigration policy to allow in 130 workers – with limits on how long they could stay – each year for a trial period of two years.

The union’s first port of call was Ukraine, but a declaration of martial law before Christmas, following the escalation of tensions with Russia, is preventing men of military age seeking outside work.

‘We won’t know how many workers we will need until we have spoken to growers early in March to ask them what their situation is and how much labour they will require for digging,’ Mr
Le Maistre said.

– Advertisement –
– Advertisement –