Devotees of the Irish spud might be alarmed to hear that potato growers are hesitating about planting this year. “It’s the carry-over from last season,” says Jason O’Leary, a Co Wexford grower and chair of the Irish Farmers’ Association potato committee. “They’re nearly giving them away in the UK and France. Severe wet weather caused disruption for Irish growers this winter. Welcome to the world of potato farming where, 180 years after the famine, it remains a precarious business.

Source: The Irish Times March 24, 2026 10:33 UTC