Netherlands Finds Potato Disease at Eight Spud Growers

The Netherlands found potato ring rot at eight growers in the south of the country, after Germany last month reported the disease in spuds produced from Dutch seed potatoes, the Dutch food-safety authority reported.

The bacterial rot was found at farms that bought seed material from the Dutch grower that supplied infected potatoes to Germany, the Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit wrote in statement on its website today.

Ring rot is a serious potato illness because the disease has the potential to spread quickly on a farm and can cause severe losses if left unchecked, according to data from Ohio State University. Dutch potato growers must use certified seed material, according to the food-safety authority.

“The consignments of potatoes have been tracked down and will be pulled from the market,” the food-safety authority wrote. “Ring rot is a contagious potato disease that is not harmful to public health.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Rudy Ruitenberg in Paris at rruitenberg@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Claudia Carpenter at ccarpenter2@bloomberg.net