Good weather has allowed many farmers across Ireland to plant potatoes three weeks earlier than they did last year.

Donegal-based organic farmer Donald Logue finished his planting around three weeks ago and he said farmers will have no complaints with how potatoes were sown this year.

“This has left a right lot of [farmers] well ahead of schedule and it could mean that they’re not [harvesting] in the depths and the bowels of November. All we need now is a better year than last year when it comes to weather,” he explained.

However, John Pettit of Teagasc said some farmers may have started planting too soon this year. “The bulk of them went in in March. In some cases, [farmers] rushed into fields, if they knew there’d be good weather, there was no need to rush in,” he said.

“The first of the first and second earlies were planted in questionable conditions. The later end of the earlies were planted into exceptional conditions.”

Due to poor growing conditions in 2024, there was a shortage of potatoes in stores and the price notably increased, although Teagasc said that the area planted with potatoes has increased by 1,000ha since 2023.

Price

However, the IFA said that the increasing price of land and a difficulty in sourcing seed potatoes could lead to the amount of potatoes being harvested remaining relatively stable.

Cork farmer John Griffin, who expects to be finished planting in the next week, added that there are still factors later in the year that will determine the supply and price.

“Going forward, you just don’t know with the growing season that’s ahead,” he explained.

“ So far this year, prices have been lower than last year.”