Shipments of P.E.I. potatoes to United States suspended because of potato wart
Following the recent discovery of a fungus growing on two potato farms in Prince Edward Island, the Canadian government said Monday it was suspending all shipments of fresh potatoes from the province to the United States.
Meanwhile, the province's potato authority called the federal government's order politically motivated and warned it would lead to the destruction of hundreds of millions of pounds of good potatoes.
Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau told reporters Monday the United States didn't leave Canada with much choice.
"They made it clear that the U.S. would have imposed a federal order banning import of all fresh P.E.I. potatoes if Canada did not act first to suspend trade," the minister said.
Had Canada not issued the order "voluntarily," Bibeau added, the United States would have imposed its own order, which "would be much more difficult to reverse."
"This is undoubtedly a tough day, and my heart goes out to P.E.I. farmers, but we will roll up our sleeves and work together and show the U.S. and the world that P.E.I. fresh potatoes are very high quality and absolutely safe," Bibeau told a news conference.
Known as potato wart, the fungal parasite spreads through the movement of infected potatoes, soil and farm equipment. It poses no threat to human health but can greatly decrease the yield of potato crops. In October, potato wart was found on two P.E.I. farms, which is in addition to detections of the fungus on 33 potato fields in the province since 2000.
David Bailey, acting chief plant health officer for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, told reporters Monday that potato wart has been present on some continents for more than a century and can remain dormant in a field for up to 40 years.
Gord Henry, national manager of the federal agency's potato section, said potatoes in two P.E.I. fields this year were heavily impacted by potato wart, even though the fungus had not been detected in prior years during regular inspections.
P.E.I. Premier Dennis King said potatoes from the two fields were never destined for the United States, and the Island stands behind its product.
"We would not ship potatoes to our partners if we didn't think they were of the highest quality," King said during a news conference in Charlottetown.
He said he was "extremely disappointed" with the minister's decision.
"Minister Bibeau said today in her press conference that P.E.I. potatoes are of the highest quality and are safe. If she truly believes this, she would put this decision through the shredder," King said. "There is nothing wrong with our potatoes."
He said his government will provide a $10-million contingency fund to help the Island potato industry, and he called on the federal government to provide financial assistance.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency stopped shipping seed potatoes from P.E.I. to the United States on Nov. 2, and Monday's order expanded export restrictions to include all fresh potatoes. The order doesn't apply to processed potatoes such as frozen french fries.
The restrictions also don't prevent P.E.I. from shipping potatoes domestically or to countries other than the United States, and Bibeau made it clear potatoes produced in other Canadian provinces are not impacted by the measures.
Prince Edward Island's potato board issued a statement Monday saying it is shocked by the agency's decision. The board says it represents 175 farms across the province that grow one-quarter of Canada's potatoes.
"This is solely a politically based trade disruption that will limit trade in a year when potatoes are already in short supply across North America and globally," the board wrote. It said the U.S. market is worth $120 million annually to the province's potato industry, adding that it has been preventing the spread of the fungus through a plan developed by the food inspection agency.
"Since the discovery of potato wart in P.E.I. in 2000, there has not been a single incidence of potato wart in any markets, including the U.S.A. and the rest of Canada, attributable to Prince Edward Island potatoes," the board said. "We have faith in this plan, and so should our government who developed it."
The board said there is negligible risk of spreading potato wart from the export of fresh potatoes, because trade rules require the potatoes to be washed and treated with a sprout inhibitor.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2021.
-- By Kevin Bissett in Fredericton.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
It could take years to catch up on child vaccinations in Ontario post-pandemic
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.