Americans say P.E.I. potatoes to be allowed into mainland U.S. 'soon'

P.E.I. table potatoes will soon be allowed into the continental U.S. with some conditions, according to a news release Thursday from the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or APHIS. 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will lift its ban on exporting P.E.I. table or eating potatoes — but not seed or processing potatoes. 

"USDA has determined P.E.I. potatoes for consumption only may resume under specified conditions that will pose little risk of introducing potato wart disease into the United States," said the release from APHIS.

Shipments of fresh potatoes to the U.S. mainland have been banned for months, following the discovery of potato wart in two P.E.I. fields in October.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency halted shipments of potatoes to the U.S. in November, prompted by a U.S. threat that it would act if Canada did not. Canadian officials were concerned that an American action would be more difficult to reverse.

"USDA bases all our agricultural trade decisions on sound science," said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. "We are confident that table stock potatoes can enter the United States with appropriate safeguards in place to ensure the U.S. potato industry remains protected."

The U.S. will require that P.E.I. imports, as well as the seed potatoes used to produce them, "originate from fields not known to be infested with potato wart or associated with known infestations," the release stated. 

Other conditions state that P.E.I. potatoes must be:

"APHIS will continue to work with Canada to increase confidence in its long-term management plan for potato wart, specifically to finish processing remaining samples associated with recent detections, to expand surveillance of non-regulated fields in P.E.I. and to continue its national surveillance program," the release added.

P.E.I. Premier Dennis King rose in the legislature Thursday to announce the border reopening, calling it "long-awaited good news." 

He said some of the protocols to which P.E.I. potatoes will be subject are "a little bit concerning."

King said he spoke with the P.E.I. Potato Board's general manager, Greg Donald, who also characterized the move as good news. 

P.E.I. Opposition leader Peter Bevan-Baker also offered congratulations, adding "the devil here is going to be in the details," noting the Americans' news release did not specify a date when the border would reopen and does not mention access to the U.S. for P.E.I. seed potatoes. He urged the government to look more carefully at its potato wart mitigation plan to ensure such a crisis doesn't happen again. 

Island farmers saw some relief last month when the border was opened to Puerto Rico, which is a major customer.