P.E.I. government says it's in negotiations to buy around half of potato wart index fields

The province is in negotiations to buy around half of the potato wart index fields on Prince Edward Island as part of a buyback program the government introduced earlier this year.

There are 37 sites across P.E.I. designated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as potato wart index fields, where the fungus that causes the disease has been identified in the soil at least once. The indexed fields include both small farms and those owned by large corporations.

The province has set aside $10.5 million to start the buybacks. Agriculture Minister Bloyce Thompson said that's enough to purchase roughly half of the fields.

"We still have a bit to go, but we have a lot of interest and it would be great once we get this behind us," Thompson said.

Potato wart was first discovered on P.E.I. in 2000, and then again in 2021. Although the fungus poses no health risk to humans, it leaves potatoes distorted by warts and makes them unmarketable. 

The CFIA banned fresh P.E.I. table potatoes from being sold into the United States for four months after it was found in the province in the fall of 2021. Some farmers with excess product were forced to destroy millions of pounds of their crop, and the sale of seed potatoes into the U.S. remains banned. 

Opposition MLAs raised some concerns about the buyback program in the provincial legislature Wednesday.

Liberal MLA Robert Henderson stressed the importance of preventing the spread of potato wart, and asked Thompson why there was no plan for the province to acquire all 37 of the indexed sites. 

"Potato wart occurred in 2021 under this minister’s watch. They’ve had four years to put a strategy in place," Henderson said during question period.

"Why has it taken so long to develop a comprehensive plan when you’ve had this many years to acquire these properties?"

Thompson talked instead about the province’s current plan, which includes planting trees to establish forests on the fields that are bought back.

After question period, the minister told reporters that the price of each acre of land is determined by an independent appraiser.

"Everything is going to be valued very fairly, and so we look forward to getting this done," Thompson said. "It's so important that we do this and just take care of the future."