Local Minister urges potato growers to pursue €20m Irish chip shop market

Offaly's Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Senator Pippa Hackett, has welcomed a new initiative which is aimed at helping Irish potato growers get their produce into Irish chip shops.

Ireland, despite being a nation famous for potatoes and growing circa 300,000 tonnes per annum for domestic consumption, imports 80,000 tonnes, or €45 million worth, of potatoes per annum, with 64,000 (€33 million) tonnes coming from the UK, according to the Central Statistics Office (2019).

The majority of these fresh potato imports are used by chip shop owners. There are currently over 530 independent chip shops in Ireland.

In 2019, as part of the 'chipping potato' project, Bord Bia undertook consumer and trade research to understand both the Irish consumer and independent chip shop owner’s perspective.

The research revealed that over 66% of Irish consumers (2 in 3) incorrectly assume that the potatoes used to make the majority of chipper chips come from Ireland.

Meadowfresh Foods based in Tallow, Waterford and O'Shea Farms/Iverk Produce, based in Piltown, Kilkenny, have now joined forces to become Ireland's first dedicated fresh chipping potato packer and distributor.

Over the past two years, Meadowfresh and O’Shea Farms have engaged with Bord Bia, Teagasc and the IFA to support the 'chipping potato' project and proceeded to grow specific crops for the Irish chip shop market.

Bord Bia’s Thinking House have also been working with the companies to develop new brands which be used to help market Bord Bia quality assured branded Irish chipping potatoes.

Opening a new distribution centre, as well as visiting a new purpose built storage facility, Minister Hackett said: "A storage facility which maintains the correct sugar and starch levels in potatoes, as well as keeping them fresh beyond the winter period, is absolutely key to producing the quality that is needed in good chipping potatoes.

"So the development of such a facility, along with the official opening today of Ireland's first dedicated potato packer and distributor focusing on the exclusive growing of potatoes for chipping, is a real opportunity for Irish growers to supply home-grown potatoes for the Irish chip shop market.

"Growing chipping potatoes is a specialist operation, and the market for them is valued at approximately €20 million per year. I think the Irish consumer, given the choice , will really appreciate businesses that support local growers.

"This is a welcome development which will shorten the supply chain and bring plant bio security benefits, making it a significant step forward for the sector.

"I would like to congratulate all involved and I look forward to seeing how the initiative progresses over the coming years."