Along Scotland’s Moray Coast, Wellhill Farm—a family-run business since 1926—has embraced cutting-edge automation to overcome agricultural challenges. Managed by brothers Owen and Duncan Taylor alongside their mother Ilene, the farm produces 16 different seed potato varieties for domestic and export markets. However, Scotland’s wet climate, heavy clay soil, and labor shortages made traditional sorting methods inefficient.
The Challenges of Manual Sorting
Seed potato sorting is a labor-intensive process, requiring precision to remove stones, clumps, and defective tubers. With rising labor costs and a shrinking workforce, manual methods were no longer sustainable. According to a 2023 report by the Scottish Agricultural Organization Society (SAOS), over 60% of UK potato farms struggle with labor availability, pushing many toward automation.
Flikweert Vision: A Game-Changing Solution
Wellhill Farm partnered with Flikweert Vision, a Dutch innovator in optical potato and onion sorting. After visiting the Netherlands, Owen Taylor invested in two machines:
- The Divider – Removes clumps, stones, and debris in the initial stage.
- The QualityGrader – Uses AI-powered vision technology to detect defects like scab, damage, and deformities.
Tripled Efficiency, Reduced Labor Dependence
The results were transformative:
- Pre-sorting capacity tripled, from 20 to 60 tonnes per hour.
- Manual labor requirements dropped by 50%, addressing workforce shortages.
- Defect detection accuracy improved by over 90%, ensuring higher-quality exports.
A 2024 study by the European Potato Trade Association (Europatat) found that farms using automated sorters saw a 30% increase in profitability due to reduced waste and labor costs.
Future-Proofing Seed Potato Production
Owen Taylor emphasizes:
“The number of seed potato growers is shrinking, but demand for quality is rising. Automation lets us work faster, smarter, and more consistently—even in tough Scottish conditions.”
With global potato production expected to grow by 12% by 2030 (FAO 2023), farms must adopt technology to remain competitive.
Automation is the Future
Wellhill Farm’s success demonstrates that investing in smart sorting technology is no longer optional—it’s essential. By reducing labor dependency, improving efficiency, and maintaining high standards, automation ensures sustainable farming for future generations.
