PEI Potato Shipments Resume

Canada resumed exporting Prince Edward Island (PEI) table stock potatoes into the U.S. in early April, following the end of a ban resulting from the discovery of potato wart in several PEI fields last fall. Shipments are subject to several mitigation measures, and the ban on seed potatoes from PEI continues.

The National Potato Council issued a statement in response to USDA’s announcement that trade of table stock potatoes could resume, noting that organization leaders are dismayed and calling the decision surprising and disappointing. The NPC urges the USDA to “enact science-based mitigation measures that will protect U.S. growers from this highly destructive disease.”