The 2023 National Survey for Potato Wart conducted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has concluded, affirming the absence of the pest in all soil samples tested, according to a press release. More than 2000 soil samples collected from fields in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island (PEI) were included in the survey.
The survey builds on the results from previous national surveys for potato wart, as well as specific and general visual potato wart surveillance that has been ongoing in PEI since 2000. These activities provide data to demonstrate the effectiveness of control measures, such as the Ministerial Order, that are in place. Through surveillance and control efforts, the aim is to mitigate disruptions to market access for Canada’s potatoes, a crop ranking as the nation’s fifth largest in primary agriculture. The outcomes of the national survey have been disseminated to provinces, the Canadian Potato Council, and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS).
The release notes that CFIA will continue using science to inform its evidence-based decision-making in managing potato wart and is committed to creating a path forward for PEI potatoes, including implementing the Ministerial Order to help contain, control, and prevent the spread of potato wart in PEI and protect this important sector of the Canadian economy. Recently, the CFIA extended invitations to stakeholders, provincial authorities, and trading partners to contribute their insights to risk management documents aimed at informing the development of the new National Potato Wart Response Plan. The CFIA intends to distribute a draft of this plan to stakeholders for feedback during the upcoming spring season.
Quick Facts
- Potato wart is an extremely persistent soil-borne fungus that may reduce yield and potato tuber quality on farms. It can spread through the movement of soil, farm equipment, and potatoes from fields that have potato wart.
- The CFIA is committed to helping contain, control, and prevent the spread of potato wart disease, which is regulated under the Plant Protection Act and Regulations. In Canada, potato wart is only known to occur in Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island. There are regulatory control measures in place in both provinces to help prevent the potential spread of this pest to other provinces and territories.
- As part of the 2023 National Survey for Potato Wart survey, over 2000 soil samples were collected from fields across the country, excluding Newfoundland and Labrador. The potato wart pathogen (Synchytrium endobioticum) was not detected in any of the samples collected as part of the survey.
- While samples from Newfoundland and Labrador are not collected as part of the National Survey for Potato Wart, CFIA does sample seed potato fields in the province annually as part of its ongoing surveillance and certification efforts.
- Canadian farmers produced a record crop of 128 million hundredweight of potatoes in 2023 representing 22 per cent more potatoes than Canada’s 2020 crop and 3.7 per cent higher than 2022. (Statistics Canada, December 2023).
