In what appears to be retaliation for a perceived trade barrier to Prince Edward Island, Can., potatoes because of the potato wart fungus, the Canadian Food Agency will look for more pests in imported foods.
It has been learned that the CFA, on the advice of the PEI potato industry, "will look for more quarrantinable pests in additional states to Texas and New Mexico where potatoes have been banned from PEI because of the Colombian root knot nematode."
In the meantime, PEI growers are upset that they only received C$12.6 million for their potato crop that had to be diverted because it could not be sold. Some C$4 million will go to seed growers and the remaining C$8.6 million to assist table stock producers.
PEI growers are still hopeful that meetings between Canada and the U.S. will continue and result in the quarantine status being lifted before this marketing season is