The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has launched a final public consultation on a proposed National Potato Wart Response Plan.
This Response Plan includes new measures to improve the Agency’s processes to help contain, control, and prevent the spread of potato wart, according to a press release. This will replace the current Potato Wart Domestic Long Term Management Plan.
The CFIA invites feedback and questions on the proposed National Potato Wart Response Plan through the consultation period, ending on January 6, 2025.
This consultation marks the next step in the CFIA’s ongoing review of its approach to managing potato wart. The review process and development of the Response Plan are based on current scientific knowledge, international standards, and stakeholder input. The Response Plan will continue to be refined to reflect the latest scientific advances and the practical realities faced by the potato industry.
Throughout the development of this new Response Plan, the Canadian Potato Council, the Prince Edward Island (PEI) Potato Board, the Province of PEI, and other industry stakeholders have been actively involved. Insights from the International Advisory Panel on Potato Wart in PEI and feedback from earlier consultations have also been essential to shaping the plan.
Like the current approach, the National Potato Wart Response Plan will serve as one of several key processes the CFIA employs to manage and prevent the spread of potato wart. For instance, the National Potato Wart Survey monitors fields across Canada, collecting valuable data to assess and enhance the effectiveness of control measures. Additionally, phytosanitary export certification procedures include crop inspections, postharvest testing, and inspections of potato tubers for each shipment, followed by the issuance of certification documents to ensure export eligibility.
Feedback gathered during this consultation will be carefully considered in finalizing the Response Plan. A transition process is also being developed to assist PEI growers in moving from the current Potato Wart Domestic Long Term Management Plan to the new Response Plan. The finalized plan will apply to new potato wart detections across Canada, except in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Quick Facts
- Potato wart poses no threat to human health or food safety. It 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.
- Potato wart is regulated under the Plant Protection Act and Regulations. In Canada, potato wart is only known to occur in Newfoundland and Labrador, and PEI. There are regulatory control measures in place in both provinces to help contain, control, and prevent the spread of this pest.
- Potato wart was first reported in a commercial potato field in PEI in 2000. In total, it has been found in 37 fields across all three counties of PEI. There are approximately 10,000 potato fields in PEI.
- Potato wart has been known to be present in Newfoundland, largely in backyard gardens, since 1909. As a result, the movement of potatoes, including seed potatoes, outside of the province has been restricted since 1912.
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