A recent announcement from the National Potato Council (NPC) shows that this organization alongside 13 other US potato associations sent a letter to USDA Secretary, Tom Vilsack, asking for the US government’s support to prevent the spread of potato wart to the United States by suspending the importation of all potatoes grown in PEI, not just seed potatoes.
They say that should potato wart be transmitted to the United States, the North American potato industry would likely lose access to all international fresh potato markets, costing the industry over USD225m in annual sales.
“We appreciate the steadfast support of Secretary Vilsack and the entire USDA APHIS team in addressing this virulent disease. The US industry stands ready to engage with APHIS, CFIA, and the Canadian industry to ensure that science-based measures are maintained to mitigate disease risk and productively address trade between the two countries,” said Jared Balcom, Vice President of Trade Affairs for NPC.
The announcement comes after potato wart was confirmed on October 1 and 14, 2021 on two PEI farms where potatoes were being grown for processing. On November 2, 2021, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced the suspension of the movement of seed potatoes from PEI to the United States.
NPC Welcomed the Restriction of Movement of PEI Potatoes
Recently, NPC and grower organizations throughout the US welcomed the announcement by Canada’s Acting Chief Plant Health Officer, David Bailey, to prevent the spread of potato wart from Prince Edward Island (PEI) by restricting the movement of PEI potatoes to other Canadian provinces and the US.
Shipments of PEI seed potatoes to other Canadian provinces are suspended and enhanced measures for cleaning other potatoes from PEI will be implemented. For the US, all exports of potatoes from PEI are suspended until further notice. Additionally, equipment used in fields in PEI faces new restrictions before crossing into the US.
“The US potato industry appreciates CFIA for acting quickly and recognizing the dire threat to the US and Canadian potato industries should potato wart be spread beyond PEI,” said NPC President and Maine potato grower, Dominic LaJoie.
