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Dairy farmers had something to celebrate for the first time in three years and cider makers had a great 12 months, but last year wasn’t a good one for Jersey’s famous spuds.
Latest figures show the amount of milk farmers sold to Jersey Dairy was up 6% thanks to the UK’s craving for Jersey ice cream and Hong Kong’s for UHT milk but one of the worst winters on record last year meant Royal plantings were delayed and they struggled to get into UK shops before other new potatoes hit the shelves.
The loss of low value consignment relief in 2012 also hit the agricultural industry hard last year particularly mail order and plug plants – overall agricultural exports fell by £11.2 million from £53.3 million to £42.1 million.
One business that is seeing growth is local cider and brandy production and last year saw growers looking for more land to plant apples. More land was also needed to grow the Island’s other less famous potatoes around the Island.
The States Environmental Management and Rural Economy Director Dan Houseago said: “The winter of 2013 was by any standards a hard one and that’s reflected in the figures for Jersey Royals. It’s also inevitable that the removal of low value consignment relief has affected agricultural exports.
“However, it’s really encouraging to see a rise in the popularity of cider and brandy from Jersey, and thanks to innovative work at Jersey Dairy, supported by the Department of the Environment and the Economic Development Department, we are seeing a real rise in the demand for Jersey Dairy milk products from around the world, providing the benefit of positively promoting Jersey as a trusted and well regulated jurisdiction, which has knock-on effects for other sectors and the Island as a whole."
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