P.E.I. potato shipments to U.S. expected to resume early this week following ban

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued its final order on Friday, which cleared the way for imports of table-stock potatoes from P.E.I. to resume.

The first potato shipments destined for the United States are expected to leave Prince Edward Island early this week following the lifting of a crippling four month ban.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued its final order on Friday, which cleared the way for imports of table-stock potatoes from P.E.I. to resume.

Canada stopped sending potatoes to the U.S. in November after potato wart fungus was detected in several fields on the Island last fall. Potato wart is an otherwise harmless disease that disfigures potatoes and reduces crop yields.

In an interview, Greg Donald, general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board, said Island farmers are happy to get the lucrative U.S. market back because demand is currently high.

“They’ll certainly be able to resume shipments as much as they can from now until the end of the storage season,” said Donald.

“It will give the industry more certainty as they get close to planting season.”

However, seed potatoes, which account for about 10 per cent of the Island’s annual output, are still banned from the U.S. until the outcome of a more thorough review by American authorities. A Canadian ban meanwhile, also applies to seed potato shipments to other provinces.

“Unfortunately for the seed growers they’ve lost those markets for this spring, so that will definitely have a significant impact on them,” Donald said.