Agrico UK Ltd

Varieties

We offer a wide choice of market-preferred seed varieties, each backed by local agronomic know-how. Our parent company, Agrico Holland, has the largest plant breeding programme in Europe, and is continually looking to develop and trial promising seedlines under local conditions. Varieties available in the UK include:

• Agria
• Almera
• Arielle
• Arizona
• Arsenal
• Amorosa
• Ambassador
• Athlete
• Cosmos
• Destiny
• Ditta
• Elisabeth
• Erika
• Excellent
• Fianna
• Fontane
• Kuroda
• Madeleine
• Manitou
• Marfona
• Markies
• Milva
• Mustang
• Novella
• Performer
• Picasso
• Premiere
• Riviera 
• Romano
• Rosagold
• Rudolph
• SA 02-0020
• SA 03-0033
• Sante
• Toluca

Development

Introducing the next generation of marketing partnerships:

• QV Foods – Almera
• Agrimarc – Elizabeth
• Agrico UK Ltd / Lamb Weston Meijer – Fontane
• Agrico UK Ltd – Madeleine
• Agrico UK Ltd / McCains / Kettle Foods – Markies
• Agrico UK Ltd – Mustang
• Branston – Novella
• Agricmarc – Rudolph
• Greenvale AP – Sofia
• Bioselect - Toluca

To find out more about our seed development programmes, please contact us directly on 01307 840551.

Seed

Agrico UK has a total planting area of around 1600 hectares, with about 1150 in Scotland (approx. 150 of which are for high grade seeds) and 340 in England. We also have approximately 75 hectares set aside for our organic varieties. All of our crops are grown in accordance with SSPCS, DEFRA and Safe Haven standards, and all seed is officially certified by accreditation bodies. To find out more, please head over to our website or contact us on 01307 840551.

Export

Many of our products are exported throughout the world. With assistance from our parent company Agrico Holland, and in compliance with guidance and protocols required by SGRIPD and DEFRA, we have shipped our seed to countries across all the continents, from Algeria to Uzbekistan, Eritrea to Indonesia. 

Agrico works in partnership with its growers to coordinate and plan efficient grading and dispatch of all loads, either from our own dedicated facilities at Castleton or from farm-based grading facilities. At Agrico we devote the greatest possible attention to storage, packaging and distribution – by ship, lorry or train. 

Import

Agrico has been the leading importer of Dutch seed potatoes to the UK since establishment in 1980. Despite the strength of local varieties, Dutch seed is sometimes preferred because:

• It tends to be physiologically older, and can therefore mature more quickly for early ware production.
• It is known for its negligible levels of Erwina astroseptica and Powdery Scab. 

If you would like any further information about potato seed imports, please contact us on 01307 840551.

Storage & Grading

At our Castleton facility we have capacity for storing and grading between 6000 and 11,000mts every year. Up to 4000mts can be held in cold storage, with the rest kept at ambient temperatures. 

In recent years, Agrico UK has invested heavily in improving its storage and handling facilities. In 2006 we constructed a new insulated store to give added set-down space for finished products and to allow for indoor loading, and in 2007 we installed an additional refrigeration unit which almost doubled our cold store capacity. We also put in place a letter box system to improve ventilation and cure potatoes on intake.

 

Other upgrades and additions include a new palletizing and bagging system, which has helped us speed up the packing process whilst complying with current HSE regulations. 

Potato seed varieties graded on site include Estima, Marfona, Maris Peer, Markies, Romano, Rudolph and Sante. 

Bioselect

Bioselect is the organic marketing arm of Agrico UK Ltd, and has been a driving force in the growth of the organic potato industry for nearly a decade. Bioselect has the backing of both Agrico Coop (Holland) and Agrico UK in its research and development activities, which has helped to place it right at the forefront of the industry.