Spud 'War' Due to Prince Edward Island's Potato Wart Detections
Two Canadian high-ranking officials took a stand to US's 'serious concerns over the recent detections of potato wart in Prince Edward Island (PEI), and to its plans to impose a federal order banning imports of all fresh PEI potatoes if Canada did not act first to suspend trade.
The Canadian authorities responded to this 'concern' and the state's Acting Chief Plant Health Officer, David Bailey recently announced measures to prevent the spread of potato wart from Prince Edward Island (PEI).
On October 1 and 14, 2021, the CFIA Charlottetown Laboratory confirmed the presence of potato wart on two different PEI farms. This follows previous detections in 33 fields across all three PEI counties since 2000. The two detections showed high levels of potato wart and made it necessary to take Canada's strongest action against potato wart to date.
Due to the October findings, the US notified Canada that they would impose a Federal Order banning all imports of fresh potatoes from PEI for an undetermined period unless Canada takes voluntary action immediately.
In response to these concerns expressed by the US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS), the CFIA has suspended the movement of fresh potatoes from PEI to the US, which includes table stock potatoes and processing potatoes, on November 2, 2021. The suspension does not apply to processed potatoes, such as frozen products.
“I have signed a Ministerial Order to restrict the movement of seed potatoes from PEI and to introduce new risk mitigation measures for PEI table stock and processing potatoes to ensure that potato wart does not spread to other parts of the country. The Ministerial Order will allow time for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to continue to collaborate with the provincial government and potato industry to explore solutions based on scientific evidence. This Order is a responsible science-based approach that will provide the protection our industry needs domestically,” Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food said.
She also mentioned that to resume trade as quickly as possible and prevent the imposition of more damaging, long-term measures, Canada must engage with the US concerns.
“As of November 21, 2021, the CFIA has temporarily suspended trade of fresh potatoes from PEI to the US. We do not take this measure lightly. We believe in the science, which tells us that the US intention to suspend the trade of fresh potatoes from PEI goes beyond what is necessary to mitigate risk. With the proper mitigation measures, the trade of table stock and processing potatoes remains safe. We are determined to stand firm for Canadian interests and committed to supporting potato growers and Prince Edward Island. I have raised the issue twice with my counterpart, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and we will explore every channel possible to give this issue the attention it deserves within the United States Government,” Bibeau concluded.
First Case of PEI Potato Wart in 2000
Canada and the US have a long history of engaging in bilateral trade based on science, and maintaining strong supply chains is more important than ever for both countries.
Potato wart, a fungus that has been present in some continents for over a century, was first detected in PEI in 2000.
Since that initial detection, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has surveyed potato wart annually in PEI and introduced the Potato Wart Domestic Long Term Management Plan intending to mitigate the risk of spread of potato wart outside of the restricted areas in PEI.
When potato wart is detected, land restriction controls are put in place on individual fields to restrict the movement of potatoes, plants, soil, and other articles that could result in the spread of potato wart outside of the regulated fields.
Potato wart poses no threat to human health or food safety but is known to decrease yield on farms. Potato wart is spread through the movement of affected potatoes, soil and farm equipment.
