Potato-growers slam withdrawal of Superquin contracts

Potato-growers who supply the Superquin supermarket chain have slammed the company's refusal to commit to new supply contracts.

Producers from north Co Dublin and Co Meath said the supermarket had encouraged them to invest in plants and machinery and to concentrate on a particular brand and grade of potato as part of an agreement that saw the growers supply around 9,000 tonnes of produce every year.

However, they said Superquin had now told them that it could no longer to commit to buying existing or future stocks, leaving the growers with around 4,500 tonnes in cold storage.

The producers said the timing of the move was particularly critical as planting is due to start in two weeks and many growers have already rented land and bought seed for the coming season.