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Potato growers disappointed by USDA export decision
The National Potato Council is disappointed with USDA’s decision to resume table stock potato sales from Canada’s Prince Edward Island to the U.S.
Council CEO Kam Quarles tells Brownfield says Prince Edward Island has potato wart and their growers can no longer ship seed potatoes, but there is still a danger of bringing the disease with consumer-ready table potatoes. “A number of our growers are very concerned about the potential that that creates, that you might lessen the security for the U.S. industry that these potatoes, given that they haven’t been fully tested might be carrying that disease.”
Quarles tells Brownfield he’s very disappointed USDA moved ahead Thursday with allowing the Prince Edward Island potatoes back into the U.S. “USDA has elected to forgo completing soil tests on all of these fields on Prince Edward Island. We’re disappointed in that result and we’re going to keep talking to them. We hope that there’s a possibility that they may amend their regulations in the future to give us the security we want.”
Quarles says Canadian officials are very resistant to soil testing, and he’s hopeful USDA will consider the comments from the U.S. potato industry and adjust their regulations. “The threat to the domestic industry, you’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars directly on an annual basis and billions of dollars in indirect impact if this disease gets into the U.S. It’s worth USDA’s time and attention to get this right.”
Quarles says soil testing is what Canada requires from some U.S. fields for imports, and he wants fair and equitable treatment to protect U.S. producers.
Additional comments from the United Potato Council can be found here.