P.E.I. farmers say federal restrictions imposed to manage potato wart went too far
Prince Edward Island potato farmers say a new report on potato wart shows the 2021 decision to halt exports to the United States went too far, and they want remaining restrictions lifted for farms where the soil-borne fungus has not been found.
The report from the International Advisory Panel on Potato Wart submitted to the federal government last week found that while potato wart has been identified in clusters, most of P.E.I. is considered a pest-free area.
John Visser, a potato farmer and chair of the P.E.I. Potato Board, said in an interview Monday that the panel's report shows that Canada's restrictions to manage potato wart have been an "overreach."
The fungal parasite -- a disease that disfigures potatoes but poses no threat to human health -- spreads through the movement of infected potatoes, soil and farm equipment.
Canada stopped sending the Island's best-known export to the U.S. on Nov. 21, 2021, after the fungus was detected in a few fields on the Island. Shipments resumed in April 2022 after the U.S. Department of Agriculture gave Island farms the all-clear.
Visser said he and his peers were offended by the 2021 ministerial order that said the province was "infested" with potato wart when in fact only a "handful" of fields had the fungus.
Potato wart has been found in 36 fields out of about 10,000 farmed potato fields in the province.
The export ban is estimated to have cost the industry more than $50 million in revenue and forced farmers to destroy about 115 million kilograms of potatoes, according to the P.E.I. Potato Board.
Seed potatoes, which account for roughly 10 per cent of the Island's annual potato output, are still banned from the United States pending the outcome of a more thorough U.S. Department of Agriculture review. There are also restrictions on their sale to other Canadian provinces.
Visser, reached at his potato farm in Victoria, P.E.I., where he grows seed and table potatoes, said all restrictions should be lifted.
He said the panel's report confirms what he and his fellow potato farmers have been saying since the measures were first imposed: "The pest is present, but not widely, and it is under control."
Visser said he's pleased with the panel's report, which comes with recommendations including growing wart-resistant potato varieties, creating biosecurity control areas near the fields where potato wart was found and ensuring a high standard of cleaning for farm equipment.
Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau's office declined a request for comment and referred questions to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Lynn MacVicar, the agency's director of operations in P.E.I, said in an interview Tuesday that much needs to be done to ensure the fungus is controlled before eliminating the remaining restrictions.
"It's not an easy situation, and I know everyone wants a quick fix, but there's a lot of work to be done, and we want to do it right," she said.
Gordon Henry, the inspection agency's national manager of field crops, said it will likely be September before analysis of soil samples is complete.
"The international panel cautioned us against moving too quickly," Henry said, noting that the agency is on track to test more than 35,000 soil samples from the Island by March.
The agency is also working on creating an action plan that will be informed by the panel's report, existing international guidelines and feedback from farmers across Canada, Henry said. It's not clear how long this process will take.
"For a grower in another part of Canada to be willing to accept those potatoes and plant them on their farm, they need to have confidence in the system," he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2023.
-- By Lyndsay Armstrong in Halifax.
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.