The NAK's follow-up inspection shows a significant decline in the highest seed potato classes this year. Pre-basic and S classes, in particular, are frequently downgraded. This means the share of top-quality seed potatoes is smaller than last year. Read more about the results of the follow-up inspection and the consequences for the acreage.
By the end of September, more than half of the seed potatoes in the Netherlands had been sampled. Approximately 3.000 samples are processed weekly in the laboratory. This means that post-testing is well underway.
The results of the follow-up inspection indicate that a large proportion of the highest classes are being downgraded, more so than last year. For the S's, the downgrading percentage is close to 60%. In the highest class, pre-basic, almost one in two batches is downgraded. Both classes account for approximately 40% of the seed potato area in the Netherlands.
Across all classes, approximately 35% of all seed potato lots are downgraded in the post-inspection process. This means that more than one in three lots does not remain in the highest achievable class. Last year, this was the case for approximately one in four to five lots that were downgraded.