Potato wart found in another P.E.I. field

Potato wart was detected in a field on Prince Edward Island last week, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed.

It was discovered in a field adjacent to one where potato wart was detected in October 2021, which resulted in CFIA banning potato shipments to the U.S. in November 2021. 

Table potato shipments resumed in April, but seed potatoes, which make up about 10 per cent of the Island's annual output, are still banned in the U.S. and the rest of Canada, pending the outcome of a more thorough investigation.

"Last week, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's laboratory in Charlottetown detected the presence of potato wart in a field as part of its ongoing investigations related to detections in October 2021 and February 2022," a CFIA spokesperson said in a statement to CBC.

"The detection was from a field that is adjacent to one where potato wart was detected in October 2021. The field is owned by a farm that produces processing potatoes for use in P.E.I."

CFIA collected more than 17,000 soil samples from March 5 to June 30 and testing on those samples continues. Finding a case of potato wart was not unexpected during the investigation, the agency said.

"This detection shows that the investigation process is working and is an important part of ensuring the health of our crops and protecting access to export markets. We will update this finding on our website as part of our quarterly updates with the next update in October 2022."