Potato wart has been detected in a third Prince Edward Island potato field which was located near the previously detected fields, a March 8 news release from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says.
Since the initial detection last fall, the CFIA has collected and tested over 3,500 samples from priority fields associated with the two 2021 potato wart detections in restricted fields. The CFIA notes the latest find wasn’t unexpected, as it isn’t uncommon to detect potato wart in associated fields during an investigation.
“It is on a farm that does not produce table stock potatoes and does not export to Puerto Rico. No seed potatoes produced in 2021 left this grower’s facility,” the release says.
The release says CFIA’s Potato Wart Domestic Long Term Management Plan and the potato wart ministerial order continue to ensure fields associated with detections of potato wart are controlled in a manner that protects Canada’s important agriculture sector and communities.
The CFIA stands firm that, based on the science, the risk of transmitting potato wart from table stock potatoes and potatoes for processing remains negligible when appropriate risk mitigation measures are in place, the release says. The CFIA has plans in place for further sample collection when grounds thaw in the spring, including an investigation into the latest detection.
Since November, potato exports to the U.S. and Puerto Rico from P.E.I. have been halted after potato wart was discovered for the second year in a row on the Island. Potato exports to Puerto Rico were resumed on Feb. 8.
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