Already too late for some U.S. potato exports, says P.E.I. Potato Board

Even if the U.S. allowed the opening of the border to P.E.I. potatoes today, some of the lost sales from the current closure would not be recoverable, the P.E.I. Potato Board said Friday.

The logistics of getting the potatoes moved would just be too difficult, said general manager Gred Donald.

"Some of the time that we've missed, we won't be able to make that back up," said Donald.

On Nov. 20, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency suspended U.S. trade in fresh P.E.I. potatoes following the discovery of potato wart in two Island fields.

Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said the agency moved to prevent similar action by the U.S., which would be more difficult to reverse.

Potato wart is caused by a fungus. It is harmless to humans, but is a serious agricultural pest.

In a typical year, P.E.I. ships about 160 transport trucks full of potatoes to the U.S. every week.

But this isn't a typical year. The harvest was excellent on the Island, and not so good in the States. The P.E.I. Potato Board was expecting to ship significantly more potatoes to the U.S. than usual.

Conservatively speaking, more than 300 truckloads of potatoes have already been prevented from crossing the border. Trying to make that up while keeping up with what would already have been a busy year is the challenge the industry faces when the border reopens.

Donald and P.E.I. Agriculture Minister Bloyce Thompson were in Ottawa Thursday for a meeting with top Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials.

Donald said it was important to meet with the people actually negotiating with U.S. officials because the trade suspension is costing the industry millions of dollars a week.

"We were able to express the sense of urgency every day that this goes on. It's costing a lot of money and certainly causing a lot of anxiety and stress," said Donald.

Agency officials will be meeting with counterparts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Friday.

Donald said it is particularly frustrating that 11 days into the suspension, there is still no indication from the U.S. on what needs to happen for the border to be reopened.