Comment: Retail demand appears to have plateaued for the moment as current restrictions are eased and the food service sector continues to reopen slowly. There is a shortage of good-quality packing material and growers with quality stock can command a premium. The first early Home Guard is being lifted this week in east Wexford. Recent frost damage and dry conditions will most likely delay liftings of some earlies and reduce yields. There are more reports that recent frost caused significant damage to maincrop potatoes. Irrigation is also a key issue at present.

In the UK, frost damage from last week is coming to light, with many crops reported to be pushed back one to two weeks in development. Frost is also likely to have had some effect on yields of early crops. Lifting of new-crop seems to be going well, although conditions are too dry for some. Across Europe, frost and drought conditions continue to cause havoc. In Holland, the water deficit is now lower than at a similar time in 1976. Temperatures last week dropped to -3°C to -7°C in central areas and there was widespread damage to emerging crops, but recovery is expected. There will be loss of yield and lifting delays of one to two weeks.