Catalogue description Records of the Potato Marketing Boards

Details of FY
Reference: FY
Title: Records of the Potato Marketing Boards
Description:

Records of the Potato Marketing Boards from 1933 and successors, relating to the regulation of the production and sale of potatoes.

The minutes and papers of the board are in FY 1 and annual reports and accounts in FY 15.

Instructions and advice sent to registered potato products are in FY 16.

Records of the Boards' various statutory and subject committees are in FY 2 - FY 14.

For series created for regularly archived websites, please see the separate Websites Division.
Date: 1933-1997
Related material:

Records created by the successor British Potato Council: BPC

Miscellaneous papers relating to the old Potato Marketing Scheme are in MAF 34

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries registered files on potatoes are in MAF 307
Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Legal status: Not Public Record(s)
Language: English
Creator:

British Potato Council, 1997-

Potato Marketing Board, 1933-1939

Potato Marketing Board, 1955-
Physical description: 18 series
Access conditions: Open unless otherwise stated
Immediate source of acquisition:

from 1997 British Potato Council

from 1993 Potato Marketing Board
Administrative / biographical background:

The first Potato Marketing Board (1934) was established by the Potato Marketing Scheme (Approval) Order (Great Britain) 1933, under the powers given to producers by the Agricultural Marketing Acts 1931 and 1933. The primary impulse behind the Scheme was to prevent unstable market conditions such as existed in the 1920s and 1930s. To this end, the Board was to register producers, prohibit sales by unregistered producers, regulate marketing, encourage co-operation, education and research, etc.

With the outbreak of war the Ministry of Food assumed control of potato production and the Board's activities were suspended by the Potato Marketing Scheme 1933 (Modification and Suspension) Order 1939.

In 1955 the Potato Marketing Scheme (Approval) Order 1955 revoked the old Scheme and substituted a new - but very similar - one. The Order has been amended in 1962, 1971, 1976, 1985, 1987 and 1990. The Statutory Instruments involved are SI 1933/1186, 1955/690, 1962/883, 1971/711, 1976/133, 1985/312, 1987/282 and 1990/1626.

The Board was mainly elected by producers, with a few ministerial appointees. It delegated many of its powers to committees such as the Executive Committee, and the Retailers' Committee. Its work was supported by its headquarters, field and research staff. The Board had an Experimental Station at Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire.

On 1 July 1997 the British Potato Council was established by the government to succeed the Potato Marketing Board.

Have you found an error with this catalogue description?

Help with your research