The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is working with the Prince Edward Island potato industry to make significant progress to help contain, control and prevent the spread of potato wart in P.E.I., a Dec. 20 news release said.
Following extensive engagement with the potato sector to date, the CFIA is obtaining feedback on three Risk Management Documents. These documents outline options related to biosecurity, seed potato production, and the categorization of fields associated with potato wart detections, the release said.
The CFIA is also taking other action to protect against the spread of potato wart:
- A tool has been designed to help P.E.I. potato growers quickly see where land restrictions are in place, helping them make timely and important business decisions.
- A guide for industry has been developed to communicate movement requirements and highlight biosecurity best practices to encourage preparedness and resilience.
“Combined, these actions should help P.E.I. potato growers make timely and important business decisions for the upcoming growing season. They also demonstrate the CFIA’s continuing commitment to help contain, control, and prevent the spread of potato wart,” the release said.
The release noted that throughout the fall, the CFIA continued with its third annual national potato wart survey. Collection of soil in seed potato production fields in provinces that are not regulated for potato wart, in addition to the collection of soil in unrestricted fields in P.E.I. were included. Results of the survey will be available in the spring of 2024, but the results for P.E.I. are known with no new findings of potato wart on the Island.
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