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European Potato Trade Association

Europatat

The European Potato Trade Association (Europatat) represents traders and companies in the potato sector.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Sylvain Giraud (Head of Unit Health and Food Safety) and Euroseeds

27 Nov 2025 · Exchange of views on the import of potato seeds from the UK in the EU

Potato trade association urges EU to reduce organic burdens

18 Nov 2025
Topic — This consultation aims to simplify organic legislation and modify rules on organic trade.
Message — Europatat requests flexible derogations for non-treated seeds to help growers manage production risks. They also call for reducing administrative burdens and stimulating demand through awareness-raising.12
Why — The changes would lower production costs and reduce financial risks for growers.3
Impact — Producers of certified organic seeds lose market share if conventional alternatives are allowed.4
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Potato trade body urges easier pesticide access and drone use

13 Oct 2025
Topic — EU initiative to simplify food safety rules and speed up market access.
Message — The organization calls for maintaining a broad pesticide toolbox and delaying bans until alternatives exist. They also request that drones be reclassified as ground treatments to simplify their use.123
Why — Streamlined procedures would reduce duplication and lower the costs of registering products.4
Impact — Environmental groups may oppose keeping hazardous substances on the market until alternatives appear.5
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Response to Measures related to specific plant pests

30 Apr 2025

Europatat would like to thank the European Commission for the opportunity to provide our comments on the proposal for a Regulation on setting out temporary measures in respect of tubers of Solanum tuberosum L., other than those intended for planting, originating in Egypt, to prevent the introduction of Ralstonia solanacearum (Smith) Yabuuchi et al. emend. Safni et al. into the Union territory. Please see our comments in the attached document.
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Response to Adjustments after three years of notification obligations, in particular on prices along the food supply chain

11 Jul 2024

Europatat is the European Potato Trade Association, comprising both national associations and individual companies involved in the trade of seed, ware and early potatoes throughout Europe. Its members include a wide range of traders (including breeders, distributors, storers, packers, importers and exporters) delivering seed potatoes to farmers, raw material to the food industry, and packed potatoes to the retailers and food service sector. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1746 introduced new notification obligations on prices along the food supply chain. As stated in point number 5 of the Draft Implementing Regulation that is now being prepared, the new notification obligations for Members States have the objective to improve the collection of statistical data necessary for the analysis of price formation mechanisms along the agricultural and food supply chain, to assist economic operators and public authorities in making more informed choices. In the case of the potato sector, Europatat and its members believe that a new obligation for Member States to notify weekly ware potato prices at ex-packaging station (Annex I, point 5(a) of the Draft text) would not contribute to achieve the objective mentioned in the previous paragraph but the contrary given the following considerations (see document attached).
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Response to Revision of the plant and forest reproductive material legislation

7 Nov 2023

Europatat would like to thank the European Commission for the opportunity to provide our comments on the proposal for a Regulation on the production and marketing of plant reproductive material (PRM). Please find our comments in the attached document.
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Potato industry demands easier EU rules for gene-edited plants

2 Nov 2023
Topic — The EU is proposing a new legal framework for plants produced by genomic techniques.
Message — Europatat argues gene-edited plants should not face the same strict rules as GMOs. They want the criteria for potatoes to be more flexible and insist on protecting breeder rights over patents.123
Why — Streamlined rules would allow potato traders to market new varieties faster while lowering expensive compliance burdens.4
Impact — Large biotech firms would lose the ability to control plant breeding through restrictive patenting of traits.5
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Meeting with Tom Vandenkendelaere (Member of the European Parliament) and European Potato Processors' Association

22 Jun 2023 · Sustainable use of pesticides regulation

European potato trade group urges exemptions from packaging bans

28 Mar 2023
Topic — The consultation reviews requirements for packaging design, waste prevention, and recycling.
Message — Europatat requests a science-based approach to packaging restrictions. They specifically oppose the ban on small-format packaging for fresh potatoes. They also want clear timelines for food safety exemptions.1234
Why — Harmonized rules would prevent market fragmentation and avoid higher costs for operators.56
Impact — Consumers face increased food waste and health risks if produce protection decreases.78
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Meeting with Jan Huitema (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Natuur Milieu

14 Nov 2022 · Sustainable use of plant protection products

Potato group warns pesticide cuts threaten EU food security

16 Sept 2022
Topic — This consultation addresses proposed revisions to EU rules for sustainable pesticide use.
Message — The association calls for an impact assessment and a more gradual reduction timeline. They urge the Commission to remove hurdles that delay the arrival of affordable alternatives.12
Why — A slower transition avoids production losses and expensive warehouse decontamination costs.3
Impact — Consumers face higher prices and food insecurity due to significantly lower crop yields.45
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Response to Application of EU health and environmental standards to imported agricultural and agri-food products

15 Mar 2022

Europatat would like to thank the European Commission for the opportunity to provide feedback in response to this consultation. Please find our response in the attached document.
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Meeting with Janusz Wojciechowski (Commissioner) and

27 Jan 2022 · 2022 Annual Work Programme of the EU Promotion Policy

Response to Measures related to Globodera

10 Jan 2022

EUROPATAT, the European Potato Trade Association, comprises both national associations and individual companies involved in the trade of seed, ware and early potatoes throughout Europe. The full eradication of Globodera pallida (Stone) Behrens and Globodera rostochiensis (Wollenweber) Behrens in the EU, as specified in the draft Regulation, is unrealistic. These current measures will not achieve the full eradication. Instead, the draft should focus on providing for measures to be taken by Member States to facilitate the eradication of these pests on production sites, as it is currently in place under the previous Directive. This is to ensure that Member States can apply these measures in a targeted way, when and where it is necessary. Therefore, we are asking the Commission to adjust the draft Regulation, especially the preamble part, to reflect it. We would welcome if the Commission could continue focusing on eradication on production sites. The draft Regulation allows the use “of resistant potato varieties of the highest levels of resistance available (resistance score 8 or 9, as specified in point 1 of Annex V, where available)”. We would like to stress that the supply of such varieties so far is limited. The mandatory use of limited varieties will therefore, over time, lead to an increased selection pressure for more virulent Globodera populations. The testing methods proposed in the draft regulation for the detection of these pests cannot distinguish empty cysts of Globodera from the ones that are alive. It is considered of great importance to include detection tests which can make this distinction. Following control measures for infested fields, including use of resistant varieties, often empty cysts remain in such fields. The use of the testing methods included in the Commission proposal would give false-positive results. Therebefore, we are calling on the Commission to include testing methods which can distinguish live cysts from empty cysts.
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Response to Measures related to Ralstonia

10 Jan 2022

EUROPATAT, the European Potato Trade Association, comprises both national associations and individual companies involved in the trade of seed, ware and early potatoes throughout Europe. Eradication of Ralstonia within all surface water will be unrealistic and unnecessary. It will lead to additional burden and costs. The presented draft Regulation already prohibits the use of contaminated surface water on specified plants and on other cultivated solanaceous. This prevents the spreading of Ralstonia by contaminated surface water to specified plants and on other cultivated solanaceous. We ask to clarify in paragraph (7) of the preamble of the draft Regulation that measures for eradication are not applicable to wild plants and surface water. The use of bio-test is an important method to confirm the infestation and we regret that it is now limited only to certain critical cases. We are asking to include the option allowing for the affected entity to have a choice to ask for a bio-test.
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Meeting with Christiane Kirketerp De Viron (Cabinet of Commissioner Johannes Hahn) and European agri-cooperatives and

14 Dec 2021 · Agricultural Promotion Policy

Response to Food waste reduction targets

28 Oct 2021

Europatat is the European Potato Trade Association, comprising both national associations and individual companies involved in the trade of seed, ware and early potatoes throughout Europe. Its members include a wide range of traders (including breeders, distributors, storers, packers, importers and exporters) delivering seed potatoes to farmers, raw material to the food industry, and packed potatoes to the retailers and food service sector. The concern regarding high levels of food waste in the European Union has been high in the political agenda in the past years. Food waste should be reduced as much as possible, a message that the potato sector also fully endorses. For this reason, Europatat has been an active member of the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste and its sub-group on food waste measurement since their establishment in 2016. Given the current consultation on the roadmap for a proposal of EU-level targets for food waste reduction that the European Commission has launched, Europatat would like to share the sector’s feedback through the attached paper.
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Response to Sustainable food system – setting up an EU framework

25 Oct 2021

Europatat is the European Potato Trade Association, comprising both national associations and individual companies involved in the trade of seed, ware and early potatoes throughout Europe. Its members include a wide range of traders (including breeders, distributors, storers, packers, importers and exporters) delivering seed potatoes to farmers, raw material to the food industry, and packed potatoes to the retailers and food service sector. Since 2020 and before, Europatat has been actively participating in the discussions around the Green Deal and Farm to Fork Strategy and is a signatory of the Code of Conduct for responsible business and marketing practices. Given the fact that Europatat’s members will be directly concerned by the initiative of a sustainable food system legal framework, Europatat would like to share the sector’s feedback to the current roadmap’s consultation through the attached paper.
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Response to Revision of the plant and forest reproductive material legislation

12 Jul 2021

Europatat would like to thank the European Commission for the opportunity to comment on the inception impact assessment. Please find our comments in the attached document.
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Response to Farm to Fork Strategy

13 Mar 2020

Europatat is the European Potato Trade Association, comprising both national associations and individual companies involved in the trade of seed, ware and early potatoes throughout Europe. Its members include a wide range of traders (including breeders, distributors, storers, packers, importers and exporters) delivering seed potatoes to farmers, raw material to the food industry, and packed potatoes to the retailers and food service sector. As such, Europatat members will be directly concerned by the upcoming “Farm to Fork Strategy” and, through the attached paper, would like to give input to the current Roadmap consultation.
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Response to Listing regulated pests, plants, plant products and other objects

10 Sept 2019

Europatat is the European Potato Trade Association, comprising both national associations and individual companies involved in the trade of seed, ware and early potatoes throughout Europe and internationally. Europatat members oppose to include Meloidogyne Chitwoodi/Fallax on the list of Q-organisms. Meloidogyne Chitwoodi/Fallax do not fulfill the definition of Union quarantine pest in the Plant Health Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 as they are known to occur in several EU member states for many years. Both have a broad host range and can’t be eradicated anymore. The damage caused in potato crops by these organisms is small, but the financial loses of the Q-status are high for the seed potato growers. Europatat proposes that these organisms are regulated as RNQP’s.
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Response to Amendment of the import and internal movement requirements of harmful organisms of plants

22 Nov 2018

Europatat, the European Potato Trade Association, gathers national associations and companies involved in the trade of seed, early and ware potatoes from all over Europe. As such, Europatat is following closely the European Commission work in the area of Plant Health. Regarding this consultation, please see document in the attachment.
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Response to Listing high risk plants & plants for which a phytosanitary certificate is not required for introduction into the Union

25 Jul 2018

Europatat, the European Potato Trade Association, gathers national associations and companies involved in the trade of seed, early and ware potatoes from all over Europe. As such, Europatat is following closely the European Commission work in the area of Plant Health. Europatat would like to thank the European Commission for the transparency and open consultation process with relevant stakeholders regarding this draft Commission Implementing Regulation provisionally listing high risk plants under Article 42, and plants for which phytosanitary certificates are not required under Article 73 of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031. We understand this measure is not working in isolation and serves to complete a whole set of measures in Articles 40, 41 and 49 of this Regulation (EU) 2016/2031. Regarding the content of the Draft Implementing Regulation, Europatat has the following comments: • According to Article 42 of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031, all products mentioned in the Annexes should be identified by their respective CN codes. • In order to be included in the list on Annex I of the draft Regulation, these high-risk plants must present a risk of unacceptable level based on preliminary risk assessment according to criteria in Annex III of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031. Then, a full risk assessment should follow within a reasonable period of time. Europatat looks forward to the Commission draft Implementing Regulation clarifying the follow up procedure to submit dossiers for Risk Assessments and the future management of the High-Risk List, as well as to the EFSA Guideline on format for submission of dossiers and the methodology for risk assessment. Europatat trusts that the European Commission will continue with the transparency of the process, should any changes to the measure occur, or while drafting any new measures related to this, and will continue informing and consulting with relevant stakeholders throughout the process. Europatat encourages the Commission to keep this level of engagement also during the implementation phase of the legislation. Europatat remains available for any input/information/feedback that the European Commission or EFSA might need.
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Response to Evaluation of the EU agricultural promotion policy

24 Jul 2018

Europatat and Freshfel Europe welcome the roadmap published by the European Commission, and the fact that the evaluation will assess the promotion policy on the basis of the following criteria – relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and EU added value. Europatat and Freshfel Europe consider that the roadmap is adequate since it established that the evaluation will examine measures adopted under the 2016, 2017 and 2018 annual work programmes, including both promotion measures as well as actions carried out at the initiative of the Commission (high-level missions, trade fairs, own campaigns and technical support services). Europatat and Freshfel Europe support the fact that the evaluation will be conducted by an external contractor, that should use and take into account available data on the policy implementation including market research and consumer/stakeholder awareness of quality products and schemes. Europatat and Freshfel Europe particularly welcome the fact that the contractor will carry out consultations (through surveys and face-to-face/telephone interviews) with main stakeholders, including eligible organisations that represent the agricultural and food sectors. Europatat and Freshfel Europe make themselves available for any input/information/feedback that the Commission or the external contractor might deem useful, and already look forward to the open internet-based public survey on the implementation and the impact of EU agricultural promotion policy that is expected to be launched at the beginning of 2019, and to the presentation of the finalised external evaluation study at a meeting of the Civil Dialogue Group on Quality and Promotion.
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Response to Initiative to improve the Food Supply Chain

12 Jun 2018

Europatat is the European Potato Trade Association, comprising of both national associations and individual companies involved in the trade of seed, ware and early potatoes throughout Europe. Its members include a wide range of traders (including breeders, distributors, storers, packers, importers and exporters) delivering seed potatoes to farmers, as well as raw material to the food industry, packed potatoes to the retailers and food service sector. In November 2017, Europatat contributed to the European Commission’s public consultation on the “Initiative to improve the food supply chain”. Taking the attributes of the potato supply chain into account (which is much more complex than the simplistically presented producer-processor-retail image would suggest), Europatat argued that further legislation would not necessarily prove efficient or facilitate the relations in the potato supply chain, since existing shortcomings could be addressed through better enforcement of current legislation and other existing tools. Given the current European Commission proposal for a “Directive on unfair trading practices in business-to-business relationships in the food supply chain”, Europatat members would like to give further constructive input that we hope will be taken into consideration. Please see annex.
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Response to Commission Reg. (EU) on the application of control & mitigation measures to reduce the presence of acrylamide in food

6 Jul 2017

Europatat is the European Potato Trade Association, comprising of both national associations and individual companies involved in the trade of seed, early and ware potatoes throughout Europe. As such Europatat members are interested in the European Commission’s proposal for a regulation establishing mitigation measures and benchmark levels for the reduction of the presence of acrylamide in food. Europatat welcomes this initiative and supports the European Commission approach in establishing mitigation measures to lower the presence of acrylamide in food. As suppliers of the raw potato ingredients for some of the products covered by the Regulation, Europatat comments will only focus on the section of the Annex referring to raw potatoes. Annex I. 1. PRODUCTS BASED ON RAW POTATOES Selection of suitable potato varieties 1 (Annex page 2): Europatat is suggesting that the text is amended to read as follows “Food business operators (hereinafter ‘FBOs’) shall identify and use the potato varieties that are suitable for the product type and where the content of acrylamide precursors, such as reducing sugars (fructose and glucose) and asparagine is the lowest for the regional conditions.” Potato Storage and transport 3 (Annex page 2): Europatat is suggesting that the text is amended to read as follows “FBOs shall specify transport specifications in terms of temperature and duration, especially if outside temperatures are significantly lower than the temperature regime applied during storage.” Europatat members hope that this input is useful and could be taken into account by the Commission when further discussing the draft. In the meantime, Europatat remains available for any further information, assistance and support that the sector can provide.
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