Commodity watch by Patricia Erwin
Seed potatoes – Windsor Framework
Early signals and understanding suggests seed potato movements could be possible from Autumn 2023 from Great Britain (GB) into Northern Ireland (NI) for growing by registered growers. It is understood seed potatoes would travel in the ‘green lane’ into NI for the production of a seed crop and could be entered into the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) seed potato certification scheme and then can be sold into the Republic of Ireland (ROI) / European Union (EU) or back to GB grown as a ware crop.
For ware growers to avail of new seed potato delivery arrangements, they will be required to register as a professional grower with DAERA. The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) understand DAERA will still require pre-notification of all seed potato lot movements. Full details of the new procedures will be issued by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and DAERA prior to the Autumn.
As a result of this agreement, plants and seeds staying in NI will move from GB on a virtually identical basis to those moving elsewhere within the United Kingdom (UK).
Instead of full EU certification, all plants and seeds will move under the existing UK wide plant passport scheme, in line with traders throughout the UK.
The new proposed framework indicates it would remove needless certification requirements for used agricultural and forestry machinery, with the only requirement now being a single, self-applied label indicating the machinery will not move into the EU.
DEFRA have indicated further work and details will be issued over the coming weeks, and in particular, once the package has been agreed by both sides at a forthcoming joint committee.
Black Sea grain talks
Ukraine is in talks to agree an extension to the Black Sea grain initiative, which allows the shipment of bulk commodities from its ports. The arrangement is due to expire on 18 March, unless an extension is agreed. Negotiations continue for the smooth implementation and further extension of the Black Sea grain deal.
