The National Potato Council released an immediate response to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) Aug. 18 announcement of the completion of its potato wart investigation on Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada, just ahead of its September deadline.
Nearly 50,000 soil samples were taken from fields associated with the recent potato wart detection, including in four additional fields. A Ministerial Order from November 2021 remains in effect, and CFIA continues to evaluate the next steps regarding risk mitigation.
The U.S. potato industry, however, has been particularly adamant about protecting its farmers and soils from becoming infested with the fungal pathogen.
“The U.S. potato industry welcomes reports that CFIA has fulfilled its initial soil sampling commitment for potato wart in PEI. We believe this to be an important step in an ongoing obligation to enhanced surveillance of this destructive disease via soil sampling,” said Kam Quarles, CEO, National Potato Council.
Potato wart poses a serious threat to potato production, as it can significantly reduce crop yields and render affected tubers unmarketable. The disease spreads through infected soil, contaminated machinery, and the movement of infected potatoes.
“As the positive soil tests indicate,” Quarles continued in the statement, “potatoes (potato wart host material) continue to be planted in known wart-infested fields. This practice needs to end, as it perpetuates the disease and makes it likely to spread to other fields and farms through normal farming, transportation, processing, and waste disposal activities.”
In response to multiple detections, CFIA suspended all fresh potato exports to the U.S. in November 2021, then shipments resumed in April 2022.
USDA’s Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) released a comprehensive report in October 2022 on the status of the crisis, which it stated is likely larger than reported and almost certain to be introduced into the U.S. without extensive mitigation efforts.
“CFIA and USDA APHIS must urgently address this vulnerability and the others identified in the APHIS October 2022 report regarding potato wart in PEI,” Quarles said. “Ten months have passed since APHIS released that comprehensive report. Nine months have passed since CFIA first announced its intention to provide enhanced phytosanitary security for potato wart and modernize its Potato Wart Long-Term Management Plan. During this time, potatoes from PEI continue to be shipped to the U.S.
“Without additional mitigation measures in place, that October 2022 USDA APHIS report states that it is a question of “when” not “if” PEI potato wart will spread to the United States. The consequences of continued inaction increase the likelihood that dire phytosanitary and economic hardships will be felt by the entire North American potato value chain.”
Main photo: A potato affected with potato wart. Photo: National Potato Council
