Signal UK potato farmers spend 55 million pounds a year on blight

Summary

The report uses costs to show the vulnerability of potatoes, one of the UK's five main crops, to pests. UK potato growers spend an average of 55 million pounds each year keeping potato blight in check. The report also explains that native pests such as the peach potato aphid spread virus yellows, which cost up to 25% of the UK's sugar beet yield in 2020. Pest infestations can undermine consumer confidence and reduce demand for crops, hurting the commercial viability of UK producers. The report sees disease-resistant varieties as producing the same yields from less land while cutting the time and money farmers spend on managing pests and disease.