GB Potatoes has announced a significant three-year funding commitment to support the Fight Against Blight (FAB) project, an initiative that monitors the threat of potato late blight.
The new financial support aims to secure the scheme’s future, enable its growth and boost the sector’s resilience to persistent potato blight threats.
With increasingly aggressive strains of late blight entering the UK, and rising concerns over fungicide-resistant genotypes, the need for continuous monitoring is seen as more urgent than ever.
Led by the James Hutton Institute, FAB plays a critical role in protecting growers by providing real-time situational intelligence on blight strains across Britain.
The scheme operates through a collaborative network of "FAB Scouts"—a group of agronomists and growers—who collect and submit up to 1,700 samples annually from suspected outbreaks.
FAB delivers in-season identification of blight strains while also providing data for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies through independent screening of fungicide sensitivity.
The new funding will be delivered through a grant from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), using remaining potato levy reserves.
GB Potatoes, which has replaced funding for the scheme since the abolition of AHDB Potatoes, said the project was a great example of where research meets application.
"It's a lifeline for growers facing an evolving disease landscape and the project exemplifies what can be achieved when the sector truly works together for a common cause,” it added.
FAB includes a consortium of stakeholders from across the supply chain including agribusinesses, crop scouts, protection companies, processors, distributors and agronomy providers.
These include Certis Belchim, UPL, Bayer, BASF, Corteva, Syngenta, FMC, McCain, Albert Bartlett, Branston, Agrovista, Frontier, Agrii, SAC, Hutchinsons, ProCam, and Scottish Agronomy, among others.
