Potato Cyst Nematode (FOI)

Request

In 2015, Deputy Tadier asked the Minister for Planning and Environment:

Could the Minister provide a breakdown of the four categories of potato fields in terms of Potato Cyst Nematode (PCN) levels; explain how those levels compare with acceptable and ideal PCN established benchmark levels elsewhere, and what steps the Minister is taking, if any, to reduce the number of fields with high PCN?

Written question by Deputy Tadier and answer to be tabled on 28 April 2015

A

Please could I have an update of those figures?

B

Also are there any breakdowns done so that levels of PCN in fields treated by "compost tea" preparations can be monitored?

Response

A

Could the Minister provide a breakdown of the four categories of potato fields in terms of Potato Cyst Nematode (PCN) levels;

• for 2017 a total of 359 fields were analysed

• totals (and percentages of all fields in each category)

Category 1 = 8 (2.2%)

Category 2 = 149 (41.5%)

Category 3 = 165 (46.0%)

Category 4 = 37 (10.3%)

• chart for 2002 to 2017 below shows a continuing rise in higher category fields and fall in lower category fields

PCN by category 2002 to 2017 

• one of the large potato operations now analyse their own land but will not release their category data to the Department of Environment (DoE)

Explain how those levels compare with acceptable and ideal PCN established benchmark levels elsewhere.

• Jersey has very high levels of PCN compared to any other jurisdiction, stemming from annual cultivation of potato crops in the same land with very little rotational practice

• in the UK a short potato rotation would be 4 to 5 years, a longer one 10 to 12 years

• in some EU jurisdictions if any PCN is detected in land it is scheduled out of production for sufficient time for PCN to die off

What steps the Minister is taking, if any, to reduce the number of fields with high PCN?

• the Land Laws will be reviewed under the current Rural Economy Strategy (RES) Definitions (eg ‘good husbandry’) could be inserted to give the States of Jersey better leverage on behaviour

• implementation of the Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF) assurance scheme aims to instil ‘Better than Best’ practice in local farming businesses

• the Alternative Crops Agenda aims to investigate high value low volume crops that might complement Jersey Royal production and thus allow a more effective rotation to be adopted

B

No – DoE has offered to assist with technical oversight on compost tea trials with regard to trial design, replication, sampling and statistical analysis but the offer was declined.

To our knowledge, none of the compost tea trials have been conducted with any scientific rigour.

Of the one compost tea treated field we have access to via the land manager, at pre-planting it was category 2 but by post-harvest had increased to category 4.