Ireland’s IPM Potato Group markets and distributes seed potatoes in every continent except Antarctica. The Irish potato variety accounts for a “significant proportion” of hectares under seed in countries like Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Canary Islands, South Africa, Kenya and the UK. In the 1970s, IPM joined a commercial partnership with the Teagasc Potato Breeding Programme, which has successfully developed over 40 potato varieties for both national and international markets, since 1962. Rooster is the best known of the Teagasc varieties developed at its Oak Park, Co Carlow headquarters, due largely to its excellent taste and cooking quality. “A lot of seed potatoes internationally are sold out of Europe; so the breeding programmes tend to be based in Europe.

Source: Irish Examiner October 09, 2020 15:22 UTC