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We need to clarify why there is a problem with potato blight this year.
The RHS would suggest that the high price of spuds and low yields is due to late planting in May/June instead of April; low light levels in June; flooding damage; high levels of blackleg due to wet weather on seed crops last year and late lifting due to difficulty of getting machinery onto the wet soil leading to low quality tubers with limited storage potential
We agree that it is true that more blight has been reported from allotments but this, we would suggest, is because many allotment growers have become registered blight scouts for the British Potato Council and more eyes mean more reports of course. It is also important to recognise that there are few allotments near the big commercial producers and so the possibility of spread is very limited.
We respectfully suggested that actually most inoculum originated on potato farms.
Scare stories and attributing blame like this does not help anyone - especially when it is factually untrue.