The UK’s potato-growing area has fallen by around 20 per cent over the past decade, while this summer’s extreme heat and drought have dealt a further blow to production, according to preliminary figures from non-profit industry organisation GB Potatoes.
The organisation’s 2026 planting and production survey put the UK’s planted area at about 100,000 hectares, although it said that plantings had begun to stabilise in recent years.
Figures from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), state the total potato growing area in Great Britain in 2016 was approximately 116,000 to 117,000 hectares planted across regions.
The pressure on growers comes after a particularly difficult growing season. This year’s UK potato harvest was also described as “the worst harvest in the UK for potatoes since the 1950s,” according to Karen Betts, chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation, quoted in The Times earlier this month.
The effects of extreme summer weather have been felt across the UK and Europe, with heat and drought leaving smaller tubers and reducing yields.
In September, the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) estimated that heat and drought could slash Britain’s potato production by an estimated 440,000 tonnes, costing the sector between £80mn and £169mn.
The estimate compared projected 2026 output with what would be expected if the area planted achieved the five-year average yield.
The decline in production poses a challenge to a crop that makes a significant contribution to UK agriculture. According to Defra figures, potatoes were worth almost £1.5bn to the sector in 2025, accounting for 4 per cent of total agricultural value despite occupying just 0.6 per cent of agricultural land.
GB potatoes has highlighted the need to secure water supplies as growers face increasing cultivation pressures.
England experienced one of its driest July’s on record this summer, and in August the Environment Agency declared 71 per cent of England’s land area to be in drought, while vast stretches of Wales and Scotland also faced similar water scarcity.
