Canadian and U.S. officials to meet Friday to discuss P.E.I. potato ban
Officials from Canada and the United States were scheduled to meet Friday to discuss the suspension of exports of Prince Edward Island potatoes south of the border -- a trade order that is impacting potato prices in both countries.
"The resolution can't happen soon enough," PEI Potato Board general manager Greg Donald said in an interview Friday. "The longer this continues on, it will mean bigger losses -- and that doesn't even consider the damage to our reputation."
Last month, Canada banned shipments of P.E.I. potatoes to the U.S. after the discovery in October of a fungus called potato wart in two fields in the province. The fungal parasite spreads through the movement of infected potatoes, soil and farm equipment. It poses no threat to human health but leaves the potatoes disfigured and can greatly decrease the yield of potato crops.
Had Canada not issued the suspension voluntarily, the U.S. would have imposed its own order, according to federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau.
Donald said millions of dollars are being lost and that the issue needs to be resolved as soon as possible.
Representatives of the Island's potato farmers met with Canadian government officials Thursday in Ottawa, ahead of Friday's meeting with U.S. officials.
"We really pushed for timelines," Donald said. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, he added, "tells us they are 100 per cent confident with everything our farmers are doing around this disease. We keep asking, 'what is different? What does the U.S. have an issue with?"'
Potatoes going to the U.S. are washed and sprayed with a sprout inhibitor, he said, adding that there have been no reports of potato wart being spread to any location in that country. Donald said if the science hasn't changed, then it's a trade issue that politicians will have to resolve.
"We have an oversupply now in Canada, and if this doesn't get resolved within days, that's going to negatively impact prices right across the country," he said. "That will be in the millions and millions of dollars."
Donald said the Island has about 300 million pounds of potatoes that need to go somewhere and that the market in Canada already has sufficient supply. "We already see the opposite on the other side of the border," he added. "Prices have escalated. That would be of benefit for the folk on that side of the border."
Donald said he was a bit optimistic following the meeting Thursday and that the minister and government officials appeared to be in full support. He said he's hoping that a first step could be to resume shipments of potatoes to Puerto Rico, which represents about 25 per cent of the Island's potato exports to the U.S.
"The product is loaded on containers in P.E.I. It goes from Halifax and never touches the soil in the continental U.S.," Donald said. "They are washed and are spout inhibited and they are in a poly-consumer bag that goes to the grocery stores. There's absolutely no risk."
The U.S. market is worth about $120 million dollars a year to the Island's potato industry.
Meanwhile, Island potato farmers say they appreciate the support and encouragement they are getting from across the country, including phone calls, emails, letters and even gifts. The PEI Potato Board says it has received more than 17,000 individual messages of encouragement and that many Island businesses are giving away potatoes.
Northumberland Ferries began distributing 1,000 bags of potatoes Thursday -- one bag to every passenger. A furniture store in Charlottetown is providing a 10-pound bag of P.E.I. potatoes with every purchase, and a pizza restaurant in the city is giving away a five-pound bag of potatoes with every purchase of its "Spud Islander" potato pizza.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.