Canadian potato export is difficult due to disease

In the province of Prince Edward Island, wart disease was found on two farms in October. The Canadian government has had to take measures against the spread. Initially, the measures consisted of quarantine, only exporting crops (so that no contaminated soil is spread) and germination inhibitors. But as of November 22, all potato trade on the island has been halted. This has major consequences for the entire Canadian potato market because approximately 20% of the total Canadian harvest comes from this area. After 21 years, Canada was forced to make this rigorous decision again, because the government wants to keep the border to the US open. They prefer to take the lead themselves rather than wait for restrictions from their southern neighbors.

Extra measures
The US has informed the Canadian authorities that in their view simply halting the trade and transport of potatoes from Prince Edward Island is not enough. The US demanded, among other things, that extensive research be conducted into the presence of wart disease in seed potatoes. The US ruled that the risk of spread through this source is even more dangerous than through mature potatoes. The US even threatened a total ban on the import of potatoes from Canada until this investigation was carried out. The results of the research into the seed potatoes were sent by the Canadian authorities to their colleagues in the US last week, which appears to have resolved a further escalation of export problems in the short term.

Meanwhile, potato growers on Prince Edward Island have expressed strong criticism of the government's policy in the local media. They believe that unnecessarily harsh measures have been taken and that too little is being done to restart exports from Prince Edward Island to the US as quickly as possible. "The consequences of the corona crisis are not yet over and growers will have to deal with the next blow through no fault of their own," a grower said in The Western Producer.