Innovation Ignites at the 2025 British Potato Event
11.12.2025
• British Potato took place on 17th and 18th November 2025 in Harrogate
• BASF showcased an extensive portfolio of products including two new innovations
Key topics included:
o The value of Privest’s unique modes of action in managing blight resistance
o Loss of mancozeb and what this means for alternaria control in 2026
o Belanty’s excellent control of alternaria
o BASF IPM Platform awarded highly commended by in the Environment / Sustainability category
The British Potato event has long been a beacon of innovation and collaboration within our industry. And this year's event was no exception – bringing together growers, agronomists, researchers and the supply chain to share knowledge, drive progress, and celebrate success.
For us at BASF, this event is more than just a platform for showcasing our latest innovations. It's an opportunity to connect and gain a deeper understanding of the sector's challenges and opportunities. And that's why we return year after year - to stay ahead of the curve and ensure our solutions meet the evolving needs of potato growers.
This year was particularly notable, given our extensive pipeline of innovations. While we have a new insecticide and herbicide on the way (pending approvals), our late blight product, Privest, and alternaria fungicide, Belanty, are already proving their value in the marketplace and on farm.
Agronomic insights
The British Potato event is a unique space where knowledge-sharing is key. Our agronomic experts were on hand to discuss the latest insights behind our products.
It was great to hear from growers and agronomists who, despite the low blight pressure this year, have extracted maximum value from Privest, harnessing its unique modes of action for resistance management, deploying it as a 'firebreak' within programmes.
Of course, no discussion of potato production would be complete without mentioning the challenges ahead. Having used up last year's stocks of mancozeb, 2026 could be the year we fully realise the significant role it played in controlling alternaria.
Fortunately, Belanty arrived on the scene this year. Based on Revysol, it offers protective and curative activity against alternaria, providing comparable control to industry benchmarks but with one important difference. In comparison with SDHI chemistry, it offers increased flexibility under FRAC guidelines.
IPM platform is highly commended
“Our IPM platform has garnered widespread engagement from stakeholders including Defra, regulators, and industry leaders. It has given us a unique opportunity to explore best practices in crop protection, biodiversity, and climate resilience, and we are delighted to have that recognised at the British Potato Industry awards.” Paul Goddard, Business Development Manager at BASF.
The awards ceremony is always a highlight of the event - a celebration of innovation and achievement that brings together the best of the industry. We were honoured to be recognised for our work in sustainability.
Our integrated pest management (IPM) platform, launched in 2023, explores four crops - potatoes, sugar beet, peas, and carrots - under three IPM regimes: standard, mid-level, and high-level. With nearly 650m² of crop in each condition, it's one of the largest IPM platforms ever established in the UK, attracting widespread engagement from stakeholders including Defra, regulators, and industry leaders, as well as growers, agronomists and supply chain partners.
The value of the British Potato event is hard to measure, but it's undoubtedly invaluable. It's only through collaboration that we'll negotiate the challenges ahead and forge a sustainable future for potato production.
