Due to the shortage of seed potatoes of industrial varieties this year, there is also more cheating. Doesn't the increasing use of ATR seed potatoes make illegal activity easier?
"There is always a gray circuit," says HZPC director Gerard Backx. 'That could be ATR seed potatoes, which are traded anyway. However, it can also be seed potatoes that are propagated on your own company, but not within the ATR rules. Both situations are not acceptable, because they can lead to a threat to seed potato cultivation. Furthermore, racial ownership must be respected.'
The question remains whether the ATR scheme offers additional, undesirable opportunities for trading seed potatoes in the gray circuit. "That is not gray, but illegal," Jan van Hoogen of Agrico responds fiercely. 'In the Netherlands we are obliged to plant certified seed potatoes for consumption cultivation. So either purchase certified seed potatoes or plant approved ATR seed potatoes on your own company. ATR seed potatoes cannot be certified and therefore cannot be supplied as such to third parties. This is especially relevant in a season where there are shortages, such as 2016/17.'
Geert Staring, director of Breeders Trust, also believes that if you want to cheat the business, you do not necessarily need ATR seed potatoes for that. 'This can also be done by retaining the undersize from consumption or part of the contract seed potatoes with a general return obligation. In all cases that means cheating: stealing.' It became apparent last week that this is actually happening. The shortage is increasing tampered with seed potatoes.
Situation in Belgium
Is there a connection in Belgium with the increase in illegal trade and the increased area of Hoeve seed potatoes, the variant of ATR seed potatoes? Staring's experience is that the larger Belgian growers certainly don't want any fuss. 'The industry expects a sustainable product and calls on growers to adhere to the legal rules when using farm seed potatoes. Farmers do not want to risk being pilloried and having to bear the shame of being caught. That when it turns out that no licenses have been paid.'
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Mainly industrial varieties propagated by growers themselves