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A war you probably haven't even heard about is chipping away on Australia's shores.
It's looking like frozen potato chips could be dumped onto the Aussie market after a massive subsidy plan for growers was announced by the Netherlands earlier this month.
Like many parts of the world, coronavirus has shut down restaurants and other food service providers across Europe prompting a glut of potatoes to the tune of 2.6 million tonnes, and growing.
It has been suggested European chips could flood our market over multiple seasons at prices of up to 80pc below market price, creating a big attraction for food service operators.
And that's got our farmers seeing red - currently, seventy-five per cent of potatoes consumed in Australia are locally grown.
It's been a good year for spuds, despite coronavirus restrictions sometimes making it hard to sell their product locally.
And the potato industry considers itself under threat, says Tasmanian potato growers.
They are set to rally and urge the federal government to put a stop to a move that they think will cost locals jobs.
And they aren't alone - their Ballarat potato-growing colleagues agree, the hot chip sector has already hit by COVID-19 with no sporting ground sales - and that's a big cut, it's understood about a semi-trailer worth of fries is sold at each AFL match.
So while the phrase "cheap as chips" could have literal implications down under, it may be worth asking your local chippery or takeway place where their chips come from.
Now, more than ever, is the time to support Aussie growers.
And there's no tastier way than with some homegrown hot chips.
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Ashley Walmsley
Ashley Walmsley is the editor of ACM's only national, fresh produce magazine, Good Fruit & Vegetables, while also covering horticulture stories for the agricultural papers and websites. He also writes the weekly, The Ringer, column in the Qld Country Life.
Ashley Walmsley is the editor of ACM's only national, fresh produce magazine, Good Fruit & Vegetables, while also covering horticulture stories for the agricultural papers and websites. He also writes the weekly, The Ringer, column in the Qld Country Life.
Kim Chappell
As Senior Producer - Digital for ACM's regional titles I assist newsrooms in digital best practice. Before this role, I was the digital journalist with ACM's national team and prior to that, the digital specialist with ACM's Agricultural division. I started as a general rounds journalist with The Land in 2006, moving up to hold the title of chief of staff before switching to digital reporting in 2015.
As Senior Producer - Digital for ACM's regional titles I assist newsrooms in digital best practice. Before this role, I was the digital journalist with ACM's national team and prior to that, the digital specialist with ACM's Agricultural division. I started as a general rounds journalist with The Land in 2006, moving up to hold the title of chief of staff before switching to digital reporting in 2015.
