Tyrnävä fire destroys up to a fifth of Finland’s seed potatoes

A fire in Tyrnävä, in Northern Ostrobothnia, destroyed up to a fifth of Finland’s seed potato production, the Finnish Food Authority estimates, Yle reports.

More than four million kilograms of potatoes were in four storage halls that burned in the early hours of Friday. Most of the potatoes were reportedly seed potatoes. The 4,000-square-metre storage complex was destroyed, and police estimate the damage runs to millions of euros.

The scale of the loss prompted the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to meet on Friday with industry representatives to discuss how to secure seed potato production in coming years.

Seed Potato Centre chief executive Paula Ilola said the industry would offer growers all possible help and work together to prevent production from falling significantly in the years ahead. She described the fire as a terrible tragedy for the farm.

The fire is expected to affect both domestic and export markets, but the Food Authority does not expect consumers to feel the impact directly. Seed potatoes are tubers grown to produce the crop in the following summer.

Tyrnävä and neighbouring Liminka produce about 70 to 75 per cent of Finland’s seed potatoes. The Natural Resources Institute Finland puts the country’s annual production at nearly 20 million kilograms.

The two municipalities belong to a High grade seed potato production area, where strict rules are used to protect potato quality and prevent disease. The article says there are only three other such areas in Europe: in Germany, Ireland and the Azores.