The Canadian Phytopathological Society La Société Canadienne de Phytopathologie |
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AgNet, 13 September 2002 Alain Boucher of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency was cited as saying U.S. colleagues inspected two fields and buffer zones set up around them to prevent the fungus from contaminating neighbouring areas, and that as a result, it was unlikely potatoes would be stopped at the U.S. border, or forbidden from moving off the Island, adding, "At this stage we have no reason to believe they are concerned that what we are doing is not appropriate,'' of the food inspection agency. We are meeting their requirements and we are controlling the pest.''
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AgNet, 6 September 2002 Let's hope, according to this editorial, that cool heads and cold, logical science are the determining factors when it comes to dealing with the latest potato wart problem on Prince Edward Island. The editorial says that the last thing the industry needs is for politics to become the determining factor. That wild card will only make what should be a manageable situation worse and return the industry -- a vital cog in the P.E.I. economy -- to the dark days of two years ago when the U.S. border was closed to Island potatoes. This week's announcement that two more incidents of the potato wart fungus have been found in P.E.I. fields came like a shot out of the blue. Compared to the turmoil of the fall of 2000 and the spring of 2001, things were going swimmingly for the potato industry this year in terms of marketing and yield. The only black mark was a number of fish kills caused by pesticide runoff from potato fields. But even on that important issue, there is agreement among potato producers that steps must be taken to eliminate the kills, either through better farming methods or the use of less different chemicals. The editorial goes on to say that a possible ace in the hole for the Island potato industry is the CFIA's protocol which was established following the last potato wart incident. It is designed to be on guard for the potato wart fungus and obviously it is working. Another strong argument for the P.E.I. industry is the fact the American potato industry is dealing with a disease more serious than potato wart -- the mop-top virus. It has been found in 11 states and Canada has yet to close the border to U.S. potato exports. Canada is simply demanding certificates of inspection verifying that U.S. potatoes are free of the virus. Canada has been doing the same thing for months when it comes to potato wart and other diseases. Surely such sensible, scientific reactions are superior to any knee-jerk ones fueled by politics or emotions.
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AgNet, 5 September 2002 The CFIA is conducting an in-depth investigation of both recent finds, in co-operation with the PEI provincial government and the PEI Potato Board. The CFIA is currently working under the terms of the three-year Canada/U.S. operational work plan. Only potatoes determined to be free of potato wart, as specified in the work plan, will be certified as eligible to be shipped domestically or to the United States. The latest find of potato wart was made during a routine CFIA post- harvest
field inspection. These inspections are required under the three-year Canada/U.S. operational work plan. Both of these discoveries are evidence that the monitoring activities set out under the three-year Canada/U.S. work plan are working. In fact, during the past two years 11,600 soil samples have been analyzed, 8,400 inspections have been conducted, and over 7,000 fields have been declared free of potato wart. Officials from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) are planning to visit PEI early next week to assess the situation. Potato wart is a quarantine pest, but it does not affect the safety of potatoes for consumption.
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AgNet, 4 September 2002 The story says that the last find devastated the Island potato industry and caused serious repercussions for the provincial economy as a whole. That's because a week after it was confirmed, the United States banned the importation of Island potatoes and demanded severe restrictions on the shipment of Island potatoes even within Canada. The move virtually paralysed the province's multimillion-dollar potato industry and forced many Island farmers into bankruptcy. Ivan Noonan, general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board, was cited as saying late Tuesday that his worst fears were true -- potato wart had been found once again, but that this year's find should not cause the same reaction from the States because a proper three-year working plan was put in place after the 2000 discovery. But Noonan said nobody can predict what reaction the Americans will have
after hearing that the Island has potato wart once again, adding, "I'm sure
there will be those who will want to do the same thing all over again but I
would hope that they learned something from the last time around. There's no
reason whatsoever for there to be any further restrictions in place.'' |
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AgNet, 4 September 2002 OTTAWA, - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has announced the detection of the potato wart disease, caused by a fungus (Synchytrium endobioticum), in a second field on Prince Edward Island. The infected field is considered a "contact" field due to its relation with the initial find of potato wart in PEI in October of 2000, and is located about 10 km from the original site. The CFIA took measures to confirm the presence of potato wart in this second field, and to mitigate the risk of spreading the disease, immediately after it was first suspected on August 30, 2002. All affected land, machinery and equipment were placed under a prohibition of movement, and arrangements were made to have machinery and equipment cleaned and disinfected under CFIA supervision. The CFIA was able to confirm the presence of potato wart on September 3 and is continuing to investigate the new find, in co-operation with the PEI provincial government and the PEI Potato Board. Following the initial discovery of potato wart disease in a field of potatoes in New Annan, PEI, on October 24, 2000, the CFIA and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) developed a three-year operational workplan that includes movement restrictions on fields within a buffer area and associated with the affected one (contact fields), a series of surveillance activities and a certification process for potatoes from field determined to be free of potato wart. Under the terms of this workplan, fields planted with potatoes last year were inspected, and they were all determined to be free of potato wart. Within another two years, if the weather conditions are conducive to potato wart disease expression, the vast majority of PEI fields should be declared free of potato wart. No impact on trade due to the new find is expected, given the existence of the three-year workplan. The new find of the disease was picked up during regular harvest inspection activities, in co-operation with local industry, consistent with the established monitoring program of the three-year workplan. Later this year, for the second consecutive year, more than 200 CFIA potato inspectors will be monitoring potato fields in PEI and conducting surveillance activities for potato wart. The potatoes from the affected field were all intended for processing. None of the potatoes being grown were intended for the table stock market or to be used as seed for further multiplication. Two loads were harvested from the affected field and they have been processed. The CFIA is proceeding with the implementation of a buffer area surrounding the affected field and restricting potato and soil movement from the affected, buffer zone and contact fields associated with this new find. These restrictions are necessary to contain the potato wart disease and prevent any further spread domestically or to other trading partners. No potatoes at risk have moved off of the island. Potato wart is a quarantine pest, but it does not affect the safety of potatoes for consumption.
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AgNet,12 June 2002 Committee members say they are just trying to track exactly how the disease was discovered and what action was taken. They say they are not looking to blame anyone. The federal agency says it will answer written questions, but adds the committee does not have the jurisdiction to order the officials to testify in person. Judge Wayne Cheverie is presiding over the hearing , which is scheduled for today and tomorrow.
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AgNet, 12 December 2001 The story explains that the disease was found in one field in Prince Edward Island and prompted the United States to ban the import of potatoes from the province in October 2000. The ban cost the island's growers an estimated $30 million. This past summer, Canada and the United States came to an agreement that allowed the P.E.I. potatoes to be sold in the United States once more. An independent panel will monitor the agreement for three years. Duane
Maatz, president of the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association in East Grand Forks, Minn. Was quoted as saying, "Basically, they self-imposed
sanctions that the U.S. accepted. My thoughts are that the Canadians have
complied with all of the requests we have made for the need for safety. They
have jumped through all the hoops and cleared all the hurdles that were put Prince Edward Island has been divided up into zones, according to Maatz. The closer a field is to the area the fungus first was found, the more restrictions placed on the potatoes grown there. Rigorous soil testing was done over the potato growing regions of the island, and no fungus was found. The testing will be repeated in 2002 and 2003. Soil and plant scientists from the United States monitor the testing.
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AgNet, 3 January 2002 The story says that lawyers representing the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have asked the court to quash a subpoena that the legislature's Standing Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Environment issued to two CFIA officials. The subpoena, sent Dec. 12, directed the pair to testify at a committee meeting Jan. 10. Committee members are in the midst of hearings looking into the potato wart incident that led American agriculture officials to close their border to potato shipments from Prince Edward Island. The committee has heard from growers but wanted to hear the perspective of CFIA. The agency took a lead role in testing for potato wart and in developing measures for control of the fungal disease.
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AgNet, 11 January 2002 Yesterday, the standing committee on agriculture, forestry and environment accepted a report from plant-health specialist Robert Coffin, the scientist who diagnosed potato wart in spuds from a field in New Annan. Coffin turned over the report when he was invited to testify before the committee. However he asked that its contents not be made public. The committee has been examining the effects of the October 2000 discovery of potato wart. The presence of the disease led U-S regulators to close their borders to Island potato shipments for six months. The economic fallout from the ban cost farmers millions of dollars.
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AgNet, 6 November 2001 A request by the U.S. government to push potato wart inspections across Prince Edward Island to a four-year program will, according to this story, likely add another $1 million to the total cost of provincewide inspections. The story says that's an unofficial estimate derived by some industry observers who say the U.S. demand for another test year --because of the drought conditions this summer -- is unwarranted and unnecessary. Malpeque MP Wayne Easter was quoted as saying, "It's not valid whatsoever. But that's part of the deal if the border is to remain open and we're to get access to the U.S. marketplace." The U.S. demand came last week as an attachment to a protocol sampling agreement finalized last spring between both countries. That agreement would see the Canadian Food Inspection Agency closely monitoring Island potato fields, farms and warehouses for any sign of potato wart. Almost 230 inspectors have been crawling over Island potato operations during the last 10 weeks checking for signs of potato wart which surfaced more than a year ago in one field near Summerside.
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AgNet: 2 August 2001 CANADA-U.S. POTATO DISPUTE SIMMERS TO A STOP Canadian .officials were cited as saying on Wednesday that a nine-month trade dispute over potato exports from Canada's smallest province, Prince Edward Island, to the United States has finally ended and most U.S. restrictions have been lifted. Robert Carberry, executive director of the plant products directorate at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), was quoted as saying, "This deal was basically sealed last night. We had been negotiating continuously since this thing hit in October, trying to push it to a more scientific avenue. All I can say at this point is we succeeded." Canada's agriculture minister, Lyle Vanclief was cited as announcing on Wednesday that the United States has lifted import restrictions on most potatoes coming from the tiny province in Canada's Atlantic region. The storie s explain that P.E.I. potatoes were shut out of the U.S. market for six months after inspectors found a small area of a single field on the Island infected with a contagious wart-like fungus. While scientists say the virus posed no threat to people, it makes potatoes unsightly and unmarketable. Following an agreement reached with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in April, Island farmers were allowed to start shipping some spuds south, but were forced to wash and spray them with a sprout inhibitor. Exports were restricted to a single crossing point. Seed potatoes exports remained off limits. Vanclief was quoted as saying in a statement that, "The replacement of restrictive import conditions by science-based measures such as crop inspection, surveillance, and reporting has been the Government of Canada's objective from the outset." Bulk exports of potatoes from the infected field and 25 surrounding fields will continue to be restricted and the deal to open the U.S. border to exports of this fall's potato crop still comes with some other strings attached. Over the next three years, Canadian inspectors must inspect every potato field after harvest to determine if there's any trace of the virus. Officials will also conduct random samples of potatoes heading into and coming out of storage. The stories explain that potatoes are big business to Prince Edward Island, with sales amounting to half of the province's exports. The 600 potato producers in the middle of this food fight say they've lost between C$30 million to C$100 million ($46 million to $154 million) because of the trade disagreement, a conflict which saw mountains of potatoes rot in warehouses or get mulched into fertilizer.
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AGNET; 14 August 2001 PROPOSED POTATO WART COMPENSATION PACKAGE OTTAWA - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has proposed a compensation package which is intended to mitigate financial losses suffered by growers due to CFIA-ordered measures to restrict the spread of potato wart fungus in Prince Edward Island. Compensation is proposed for those growers who have incurred financial losses as a result of compliance with phytosanitary measures ordered by the CFIA under the authority of the Plant Protection Act. The provisions of the Plant Protection Act allow the Minister to order compensation for specific actions taken to achieve this compliance. The compensation package applies only to those actions taken in order to achieve compliance with notices issued by the CFIA. The proposed compensation package is the result of an agreement reached during direct consultations held between the CFIA and the province of Prince Edward Island, the Prince Edward Island Potato Board and growers. The proposed regulations will be published August 11, 2001 in the Canada Gazette Part 1 for a 15-day comment and consultation period. Copies of the proposal can be obtained from the Canada Gazette website at: www.canada.gc.ca/gazette/gazette_e.html
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AGNET; 1 August 2001 P.E.I. POTATOES GAIN IMPROVED ACCESS TO U.S. MARKETS Many restrictions that were imposed on the 2000 crop as a result of an isolated case of Potato Wart have been removed. These include requirements to both wash and sprout inhibit potatoes destined for the U.S. market. Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lyle Vanclief said he is extremely pleased with the results of the latest negotiations with USDA officials. "The replacement of restrictive import conditions by science-based measures such as crop inspection, surveillance, and reporting has been the Government of Canada's objective from the outset," said the Minister. "This new set of conditions is certainly a significant step forward for PEI producers," said Ivan Noonan, of the PEI Potato Board. The U.S. closed the border to PEI potatoes Oct. 31, 2000, after the Government of Canada had put controls in place to limit the spread of potato wart disease from a single field and notified the U.S. of these actions. The Government of Canada has made every effort to demonstrate to the U.S. that Canada's control measures are based on sound science. As a result of cooperative efforts between Canadian and U.S. officials, on April 26, 2001 the most rigid restrictions were lifted, allowing PEI potatoes limited access to U.S. markets. The Government of Canada's efforts to work in cooperation with the U.S. and its stringent adherence to risk mitigation procedures have led to a strong base of scientific evidence to support the latest relaxation of export requirements to the U.S. "Together with industry and the PEI government, the Government of Canada has
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AGNET 22 July 2001 RULES FOR P.E.I. SPUDS ENTERING U.S. UP FOR DEBATE: CRUCIAL MEETING SET FOR MONDAY BETWEEN CANADIAN, U.S. OFFICIALS The Guardian (Charlottetown) A critical meeting to decide whether P.E.I. potatoes will be allowed into the lucrative U.S. market this fall, and under what conditions, will, according to this story, be held Monday in Washington, The Guardian has learned. The story says that top officials from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency will be meeting with their U.S. counterparts in an effort to iron out an agreement that would ensure Island potatoes aren't stopped at the border again this fall. Farmers here also want some of the restrictions dropped that were put in place last year after the discovery of potato wart in a single field in Travellers Rest. That discovery prompted the U.S. to slap a ban on the import of all Prince Edward Island potatoes for six months, a ban Island farmers maintain had more to do with U.S. protectionism than potato wart. Ivan Noonan, general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board, was cited as saying he has no idea what to expect from Monday's meetings and that it will probably be Tuesday morning before Island farmers know what hoops, if any, they'll have to jump through to get their produce into the U.S. market, adding, "We need an agreement. That's the bottom line. The restrictions have to be a lot easier than what they were last year. We've done thousands of soil samples and we're saying enough is enough. Let's get back to normal operations." The story says that soil samples have all indicated that the potato wart has been contained in a single field. That field and a huge buffer zone around it has been taken out of potato production.
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AGNET 27 April 2001 POTATO WART: A LOOK AT ITS U.S. HISTORY : IT'S CLEARLY TIME FOR CANADA TO DEMAND EXTENSIVE SURVEYS AND SOIL SAMPLING IN THE U.S. TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH POTATO WART SPORES EXIST IN VARIOUS STATES. Kevin J. Arsenault writes that this week's news that Canada and the United States have once again reached an agreement to lift the ban on P.E.I. potatoes certainly sounds like good news. However, many farmers are still very concerned that the agreement will likely require farmers to accept unreasonable conditions which will be scientifically unnecessary and unfair. Arsenault says that farmers and politicians need to take a closer look at the facts about the potato wart history in the United States, and the obligations which the U.S. has to provide Canada with evidence of freedom from potato wart under international phytosanitary plant health agreements. This would lead to a fairer resolution of the potato wart issue with the United States. The potato wart crisis that has wreaked havoc on P.E.I. has all the same characteristics as the infamous PVYn crisis of the early 1990s. In both cases, a tiny amount of a quarantinable pest was detected -- causing no actual plant health damage. A report was immediately made to the United States. Then the United States promptly imposed a ban. P.E.I. then began the daunting task of trying to 'convince' the Americans that shipping potatoes into the U.S. posed no plant health risk, knowing all the time that 'plant health risk' had never been the reason for the ban. The story says that the PVYn fiasco could have been avoided if the United States' claim of being `PVYn' free had been investigated a little more thoroughly from the beginning. It turns out the Americans had the virus for years, with it causing significant damage on tobacco in North Carolina. They never admitted that fact, even when the scientific experts reported its detection, extensive damage on tobacco, and attempted control in North Carolina in various plant health journals for years. The same thing has been happening with potato wart: the U.S. has a very long and widespread history of the disease, yet they have argued that they don't have the pest. They do. It was therefore both unethical and unnecessary for the United States to respond to a minor occurrence of potato wart with such force, or to demand stringent conditions be met which they have been unwilling to follow. The United States and Canada need to agree -- like they eventually agreed with PVYn -- to make potato wart a regulated and managed pest. In this way, any negligible outbreaks which may occur can be managed locally without imposing trade barriers, in exactly the same way PVYn is now managed. A fair and lasting resolution hinges on debunking the notion that the United States doesn't have the potato wart fungus. Yet, the truth about potato wart in the United States is not widely known: Synchytrium Endobioticum, the fungus causing potato wart, has been widely dispersed throughout the United States for nearly a century. The story provides an extensive history of potato wart and goes on to conclude that given the history and prevalence of potato wart in the United States, the Canadian government should be demanding the same verification surveys and soil tests for potato wart from the United States as are other countries like Japan. And the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) must request soil samples on par with the U.S. requests for soil samples from P.E.I., and not be satisfied with U.S. surveys that amount to interviews with home gardeners.
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AGNET 25 April 2001 POTATO-BAN Rory McAlpine, executive director of Agriculture Canada's International Trade Policy Directorate, was quoted as saying, "It'll all be made official later today. As to when potatoes will actually move across the border, it will still be a couple of days, I think.'' McAlpine was cited as saying it will take that long for U.S. inspectors, currently preoccupied with foot-and-mouth disease, to be deployed at Canadian border crossings. Ron Krystynak, the department's deputy director of Canada-U.S. trade issues, was cited as saying the changes only apply to the 2000 table potato crop, most of which has been chopped up and spread on Island fields as fertilizer, adding, "Conditions for next year are still to be sorted out. I wouldn't anticipate they would go backwards, but there will be additional testing. I understand they are planning to send up an inspection team.'' Seed potatoes - a relatively small portion of exports - will still be banned, he said. And shipments to the United States will still be limited to potatoes that have been washed, spouted and packed in 50-pound bags. The story says that the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council estimates Island farmers lost $30 million, primarily because of reluctance in other provinces to import P.E.I. potatoes in the face of U.S. restrictions on their movement within Canada.
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AGNET 20 April 2001 POTATO STUNT MAY JEOPARDIZE NEGOTIATIONS WITH U.S., P.E.I. MINISTER CHARGES CHARLOTTETOWN - A political stunt by Opposition Leader Ron MacKinley may have, according to this story, jeopardized negotiations to reopen the U.S. border to P.E.I. potatoes, Agriculture Minister Mitch Murphy charged Thursday. The story explains that MacKinley brought a bag of potatoes into the legislature early this week to allege that U.S. potatoes were being repacked in Canadian bags and sold in Canada. That prompted an investigation by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which said if the allegations are true, it would constitute fraud. The United States quickly turned MacKinley's statements against Canada in high-level negotiations over the potato issue. The Americans contend that if California potatoes were being repackaged in Canadian bags, the reverse could be true and P.E.I. potatoes could end up being repacked in bags from other provinces or states and sold south of the border. Murphy was quoted as saying, "To go out and pull the stunt that he did was regrettable, it was silly, it was a stupid thing for him to do. Anything that the Americans can use to maintain their protectionist position, they're going to. We certainly don't need the leader of a political party on P.E.I. providing them with any of the stuff that he did.''
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AGNET 17 April 2001 P.E.I. POTATO WART: THEN AND NOW: ISLAND GROWERS AWAITING WORD ON EASING OF
U.S. RESTRICTIONS. The stories say that the Island's potato industry was virtually paralysed on Oct. 31 when the U.S. banned the province's potatoes and demanded severe restrictions on the movement of spuds within Canada itself. The Americans then outlined conditions under which P.E.I. could resume shipments to that market on Dec. 13. Those conditions were that potatoes in zone 4, the area furthest away from the field in Travellers Rest where the potato wart was found, could be shipped on the stipulation that they be washed and sprout nipped. Growers met those conditions but when truckloads of potatoes arrived at the border they were refused access into the United States. On Dec. 29, the U.S. outlined even more restrictive conditions, which would have banned the movement of all P.E.I. seed to the rest of Canada and would place severe restrictions on the movement of tablestock and processing potatoes from zones 2 and 3 to the rest of Canada (maximum package size of 20 pounds, etc.). The latest U.S. offer, prior to Vanclief's surprise announcement, came on March 19, in a letter from Dunkle. Carl Picketts, 34, was cited as saying he has made up his mind and is leaving farming, despite a tradition that has seen his family work the province's rich, red soil since the early 1800s, adding, "I can't look at my daughter anymore and say 'I'm willing to bet your inheritance on the potato business.' I would have no problem telling my grandfather about my decisions. The hard thing is my parents who have worked so hard and to have it all end up like this.'' Picketts, who hasn't sold a single potato this year, decided to shut down his seed business after the United States imposed a ban on Island potatoes in October.
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AGNET 15 April 2001 OTTAWA SENDS POTATO ENVOY TO WASHINGTON: 'ANYTHING AT ALL ... WOULD BE Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief, was quoted as saying in a statement Friday that, "The United States eased restrictions on interprovincial movement of potatoes on Tuesday and on Wednesday provided an interpretation that re-established these restrictions. These restrictions are beyond scientific justification in light of mitigation measures put in place for potato wart by the Canadian government and Prince Edward Island producers." Ivan Noonan, head of the P.E.I potato board, was cited as saying he was unsure what effect the meeting might have but welcomed the effort, adding, "Anything at all, whoever they send, would be greatly appreciated by the potato growers of Prince Edward Island today. It's just absolutely terrible this should even come to this level after twice having our growers believe that the border was open only to find out shortly afterwards that it wasn't. It's just a tremendous roller-coaster ride for these people. I don't know how they've kept their sanity at all."
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AGNET 11 April 2001 CANADA-POTATO BAN The United States closed its border to potatoes from Prince Edward Island in October after potato wart was found in one field here. The fungal disease causes unsightly bumps that make potatoes hard to sell. U.S. officials say they want to prevent the spread of the fungus. Canadian officials have accused the United States of exploiting a minor outbreak as a ploy to benefit American potato growers.
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AGNET 11 April 2001 US-CANADA-POTATO BAN The story says that on Tuesday, Canadian Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief Canada's agriculture minister said the ban on potatoes from Prince Edward Island would be partially lifted within 48 hours. But Richard Dunkle, a deputy administrator for USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, was cited as saying Wednesday there was no such agreement, and that a letter sent Tuesday to Canadian officials merely outlined a procedure for potatoes to move within Canadian borders. He said the U.S. has not changed conditions it set in December that restricted most shipments to 50-pound bags or less of potatoes that have been washed and had their sprouts clipped to prevent them from being planted.
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AGNET 11 April 2001 ANGRY CANADA SAYS U.S. CHANGED MIND ON POTATO BAN Canadian Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief, speaking after he received a letter from U.S. officials, said on Tuesday the United States had partly lifted a costly six-month ban on the import of potatoes from Prince Edward Island and said shipments could start within 48 hours. But Robert Carberry, director of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's plant health and production division, said he had received a phone call on Wednesday morning from U.S. officials insisting that all potato exports be washed and treated -- something the industry opposes on cost grounds and a stipulation Ottawa was sure Washington had in fact dropped. "We cannot ease our restrictions until summer or fall," said Richard Dunkle, deputy administrator of USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Those restrictions would be eased, he added, if no further evidence of the fungus were detected. While he would not address Vanclief's remarks directly, Dunkle said, "It's unfortunate our letter got misinterpreted or distorted." Officials from Vanclief's office and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency declined to return repeated telephone calls seeking comment. Rodney Moore, a spokesman at the Canadian embassy here, could only say his government "is still looking at" the USDA letter. Mr. Vanclief was cited as saying yesterday his U.S. counterparts suddenly altered provisions that would have cleared the way for Island potatoes to be imported into the United States, adding, "This is clearly a protectionist measure that I believe has come about with pressure ... from the industry in the United States."
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AGNET 9 April 2001
And yet, in relative terms, that is what has happened to the economy of Prince Edward Island -- all for 72 potatoes. Winsor says that all of the fuss that has dragged on for six months, plunging the PEI government into a deficit and directly affecting two-thirds of the province's farmers, is because 72 potatoes that sprouted green cauliflower-like appendages due to a virus called potato wart were discovered in the corner of a PEI field. The U.S. border was slammed shut even though potato wart poses no risk to humans; it just doesn't look good in a supermarket bin. Moreover, all of the 72 potatoes came from an area smaller than a soccer pitch. That area has been hand-raked by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and no more diseased tubers were found. Biologists have also taken 2,000 soil tests in the surrounding area that show that the virus had not even migrated to other parts of the field. As soon as the problem was identified, the field was enclosed with a chain-link fence, and security guards were posted 24 hours a day. All of the evidence indicates that the outbreak has been contained and that there is no possibility of it being carried to the United States or anywhere else. And yet U.S. officials are continuing their ban, with the result that shipments of PEI potatoes to all markets have decreased 41.6 per cent from the previous year. As federal Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief told a Senate committee last week, "There is absolutely no scientific basis for what the U.S. administration is doing. . .. It is nothing but a protectionist issue." Winsor goes on to say that proof for the Islanders that this is a trade,
not food quality, issue is the fact that the Americans will not release the
report of a scientific panel (which included a Canadian observer) that is But what the farmers really want is someone to stand up for them.
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AGNET 6 April 2001 P.E.I. POTATO FARMERS FURIOUS OVER VANCLIEF'S ADVICE Last fall, the Americans stopped importing spuds from Prince Edward Island after a fungus turned up in one farmer's field. Vanclief has said there is no scientific basis for the ban, and has repeatedly called on Washington to lift the trade restriction. But his pleas have been ignored. On Wednesday, Vanclief told the Senate agriculture committee that it would be naive not to prepare for the possibility that the ban will stay in place. He called newly elected U.S. President George W. Bush's administration "very, very protectionist," and advised P.E.I. farmers not to bother planting potatoes this year unless the dispute is resolved by the middle of May. On Thursday, Conservative Leader Joe Clark called the comment about switching crops as foolish as advising Ontario to get out of the auto industry. Some P.E.I. potato growers have called on Vanclief to step down if he can't persuade the U.S. to lift the ban. "He should be doing everything possible," said one angry spud farmer. "And for him to blink and say he's going to throw in the towel is something that should never, never be." They want Prime Minister Jean Chrétien to get tough with Washington. Prince Edward Island's government has also called on Ottawa to retaliate with trade restrictions on American products. But on Thursday Chrétien told the Commons that his government is already pressing Washington to act. He said the P.E.I. dispute is one of the first issues he raised with Bush during their meeting at the White House recently.
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AGNET 12 March 2001 PEI FARMERS WONDERING ABOUT POTATO WART AID; WHETHER OR NOT TO PLANT CROP Ivan Noonan, general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board, was quoted as saying Monday that, "We've been expecting something for so long, I don't know what to expect. I have no idea what it contains. . . . I just hope it happens.'' A long-awaited financial package to bail out tablestock and seed potato growers is expected to be approved by the federal cabinet Tuesday. It will be a separate program to augment a $15-million provincial program and P.E.I.'s share of the $500-million federal farm assistance program announced last week. However, the delay in the announcement has lit a fuse. Not only are potato growers on pins and needles over whether they can afford to plant a 2001 crop, but the arrival of milder weather is shutting the door on spreading another 3 million tonnes of unsold potatoes on their land.
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AGNET 9 March 2001 CANADA PRESSES US ON POTATO BAN Vanclief has warned that the Canadian potato crop will rot within weeks if the U.S. ban does not end. Veneman spokesman Kevin Herglotz was quoted as saying, "We'll continue to consult with the Canadian government and try to resolve the issue as soon as we can." Scientists from Canada and the United States will meet on March 16 in hopes of finding a way to end the U.S. ban on imports of potatoes from Prince Edward Island, officials said on Friday.
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AGNET 28 February 2001 COLD WAR OVER POTATO WART SHOWING SIGNS OF THAWING: FEDERAL ASSISTANCE PACKAGE TO DEAL WITH IMPLICATIONS OF P.E.I.'S POTATO WART CRISIS EXPECTED TO BE CONSIDERED BY FEDERAL CABINET THURSDAY. A financial assistance package to deal with the implications of the potato wart crisis was, according to this story, considered by the Canadian federal government's economic committee Tuesday and is expected to go before the federal cabinet Thursday. There were few details surrounding the content of the package, but Malpeque MP Wayne Easter was cited as saying he is hopeful the plan will include enough funds to divert more potatoes from the marketplace and end the financial drought facing Island farmers who have been shut out of the U.S. market for the past 16 weeks. Industry estimates suggest the province has lost between $30 and $50 million in revenue and lost product. The story says that International Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew scored some success when he met with a U.S. trade representative Monday and convinced his counterpart to deal with the potato wart crisis on a scientific level rather than as a trade issue. That acknowledgement of agreement also opened the door to include a Canadian scientist on an American delegation bound for Europe next week to review potato wart expertise in those countries. Easter was quoted as saying, "They have agreed to allow a Canadian Food Inspection Agency scientist to participate. We believe this will substantially prove our case that we have already contained and controlled the spread of potato wart from Prince Edward Island.'' Only a few weeks ago, the U.S. declined to include Canadian expertise on the matter even though some of the world's most renowned scientists on the subject of potato wart are Canadian.
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AGNET 26 February 2001 SMALL CANADIAN PROVINCE STRUGGLES WITH SPOILING SPUDS "We're looking at huge losses because it's a lot of potatoes and there's no home for them," said. Robert MacDonald, a potato producer in the Atlantic province of Prince Edward Island, who says his 344-hectare (850-acre) farm stands to lose at least C$300,000, was quoted as saying, "Some guys have been going to the field and literally spreading them on the snow... It's one of the most discouraging things you can do." The story explains that U.S. officials began barring imports of PEI potatoes in late October, citing fears of contamination from a rare fungus, a wart that creates green cauliflower-like deformities that make potatoes unsightly, unmarketable but safe to eat. In December, the U.S. issued strict conditions to allow the entry of table potatoes and attempted to impose guidelines for moving potatoes between Canadian provinces. Canadian officials said the United States was being unreasonable. Ivan Noonan, general manager of the PEI Potato Board, was quoted as saying, "We responded saying, 'It's fine, we'll do what you want to ship to the U.S. but we certainly can't have you dictate what we do here in Canada.' It's a real roller coaster ride at best most years in the potato industry, but this has been among the most devastating." The island's agriculture minister, Mitch Murphy, traveled to Washington last week to talk to U.S. state officials and try to put the issue on the front burner. "We know that science is on our side," he told Reuters.
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AGNET 9 February 2001 P.E.I. POTATOES GO TO COMPOST HEAP CHARLOTTETOWN - Potato farmers in Prince Edward Island have waited as long as they can for Ottawa to get the U.S. border opened up for their product. Now, their crops are gone to waste. Klaas Nieuwhof says running over tonnes of potatoes with a snowblower and blowing the chunks into his field is heartbreaking. "You spend the last 10 months of the year trying to get the best potatoes," he said, "then you end up having to dump them on the field." Nieuwhof's potatoes are among 135 million kilograms of P.E.I. spuds gone bad because the U.S. banned imports after potato wart was found in one field. There are about 500 farmers in the potato industry in the province and they say they've lost $31 million in exports since the ban. And while the fungus which makes potatoes unmarketable has been isolated, and other potatoes are clean, Ottawa has been unable to convince Washington to lift the ban. Some, like Nieuwhof, believe the federal government hasn't tried very hard. "It's politics that's wrong with these potatoes," said Nieuwhof. He thinks the P.E.I. potatoes are being sacrificed in favour of other trade issues. Federal Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief says his department is working on a compensation package for the farmers, but won't talk about the details. Discussions are ongoing, Vanclief says. Meanwhile, millions of perfectly good potatoes are going to compost.
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AGNET JANUARY 26, 2001 VANCLIEF PROMISES HELP FOR P.E.I. POTATO FARMERS HURT BY U.S. BAN OTTAWA. Federal Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief promised Thursday to plead the case of P.E.I. farmers, hurt by a U.S. ban on island potatoes, at cabinet soon. Vanclief made the comment after meeting with P.E.I. potato growers, who have lost millions of dollars because of the ban. "I have told them that we will be looking for support for them," Vanclief said. Compensation would come through risk-management programs such as crop insurance, he said, adding there also other options. "They emphasized to me the importance of removing some of those potatoes in an environmentally friendly way. We will be looking at a combination of support to that kind of program as well as a support to some potatoes moving into food aid in Canada." The United States banned P.E.I. potatoes in October after the discovery of potato wart in a section of one island field. The highly contagious virus causes unsightly bumps on potatoes, making them unmarketable. Some producers want U.S. spuds banned in retaliation, but Vanclief said that would be difficult. "You have to have a reason to ban and if they're meeting the regulations and they're meeting the criteria for that product coming into Canada, then that's not very easily done." On Wednesday, after Solicitor General Lawrence MacAulay and the island's three other MPs met with Vanclief, MP Wayne Easter said Vanclief hoped to bring a package to cabinet within two weeks. The P.E.I. government has already started a program to compost warehoused potatoes, paying farmers $5 a hundredweight. In the House of Commons on Wednesday, Easter condemned the U.S. closure. "The single biggest threat to our most important industry is not potato wart . . . it is instead U.S. protectionism," he said.
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AGNET JANUARY 26, 2001 QUESTIONS BEGIN TO FOLLOW PLANS TO DUMP EXCESS SPUDS: SOME FARMERS WANT TO
BE ABLE TO USE POTATOES FOR LIVESTOCK FEED BUT THAT'S NOT PART OF THIS The Guardian (Charlottetown) SUMMERSIDE -- As Island potato growers begin the process of spreading potatoes on their fields, questions are, according to this story, being raised from some quarters that this may not be the best means of dealing with the situation. One cattle farmer was cited as saying he leases fields to growers and as part of the lease agreement he gets the cull potatoes for feed. This isn't happening this year because the potato industry wants to send a clear message that although the potatoes are healthy they are dealing with this situation (dumping) to maintain minimum pricing and get the borders reopened. The other question being raised is the perception south of the border that farmers are spreading tainted potatoes on their fields and that could impact next year's crop. Malpeque MP Wayne Easter was cited as saying there is nothing wrong with the potato crop and that thinking is by people who don't understand what potato wart really is, adding, "The whole idea of getting these potatoes out fast is to get three-million hundredweight off the market. Get them out in the field where they'll freeze and basically destroy themselves so there is no fear of any other kinds of problems.'' Ivan Noonan, general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board, was cited as saying there is a chance of that perception being held but that isn't the real problem, adding, "If we plant our own seed here why isn't that the same thing. Those potatoes came out of those fields originally anyway. We ship seed potatoes from Florida north and as far west as Washington, D.C. This is not really about science. It's about too many potatoes in the Pacific northwest, mainly Idaho and Washington and that's a reality. They don't want to negotiate an opening of the border. They want to keep it closed. It could be another month, a year, until somebody finds something in U.S. potatoes or finds a reason to close out U.S. products, then we're probably not going to get too far. We'd like to see some equivalency, and yes, they're doing some other things but the clock keeps ticking and growers keep losing money every day.''
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AGNET JANUARY 19, 2001 POTATO GROWERS SPREAD DIVERSION PROGRAM FUNDS: INDUSTRY OFFICIALS DECIDE TO
MAKE AID AS WIDELY AVAILABLE AS POSSIBLE TO ISLAND FARMERS HURT BY BAN. The province announced a diversion program earlier this month as a way of easing the financial pain of farmers frozen out of the American marketplace. Under the program, the province has pledged to buy surplus potatoes from farmers at a rate of $5 per hundredweight. Tonnes of the potatoes are expected to go to food banks and as food aid to foreign countries but the majority of the diverted crop is destined to be chopped and spread across potato fields to decay. At a meeting in Charlottetown Thursday, industry representatives decided to make the assistance as widely available as possible. Ivan Noonan, manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board, was cited as saying that farmers will be able to ask the diversion program to buy as much as 10 per cent of their production.
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AGNET JANUARY 10, 2001 U.S. ACHIEVED GOAL WITH BAN ON POTATOES, OFFICIAL ADMITS: HEAD OF AGRICULTURE CANADA TRADE DIRECTORATE SAYS THIS HARVEST'S U.S. MARKET WAS DEAD FOR P.E.I. FARMERS 10 WEEKS AGO. The Guardian (Charlottetown) OTTAWA -- Rory
McAlpine, the head of Agriculture Canada's International
Trade Policy Directorate, was cited as saying Tuesday that the United States
achieved what it set out to do virtually as soon as it banned importation of
P.E.I. potatoes in October, adding, "Unfortunately, as soon as they closed
the border on Oct. 31, the U.S. Thanksgiving and Christmas markets were
jeopardized and they were lost. The reality is that the U.S. action The story says that Canadian officials claim the U.S. ban, imposed after a fungus was found in one corner of a single P.E.I. field, is not based on science. They say politics is behind it, pointing out that Idaho and Washington state are 30 million hundredweight overproduced this year. P.E.I. produced 29.6 million hundredweight in total. U.S. officials did not return phone calls Tuesday.
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AGNET JANUARY 10, 2001 CANADA-SPUD WAR GENEVA -- Lyle Vanclief Canada's agriculture minister, was cited as saying Monday that farmers on Canada's Prince Edward Island will see their potato crop rot within weeks if the United States does not lift its ban on imports, and that any NAFTA action would come too late for the 2000 harvest, much of which is usually exported to the United States, adding, "Quite frankly, within another two or three weeks, farmers will have lost their crop that has been marketed into the United States for a number of seasons. It is very frustrating for everyone." The United States has imposed an import ban on all island potatoes following the discovery in October that part of one field was infected with potato wart fungus. The fungus is not harmful to humans but causes warts to grow on potatoes, making them unmarketable. The United States says the ban is aimed at preventing the spread of the fungus, but Canadian officials have accused the United States of exploiting a minor outbreak of the fungus as a ploy to benefit American potato growers. They said there is no evidence the fungus has spread. Canadian farmers are calling on Ottawa to retaliate by imposing bans on U.S. agricultural products. Vanclief said Canada also is having trouble negotiating a solution to the dispute because of the impending change in the U.S. administration. "We have one administration that is leaving, and is maybe reluctant for whatever reason to take action, and another that isn't there yet and therefore not really involved in it," he said.
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AGNET JANUARY 6, 2001 CANADA SEEKS TO REOPEN MEXICAN POTATO MARKETS AFTER U.S. BAN ON ISLAND SPUDS OTTAWA -- Terry Norman, director of Western Hemisphere trade policy at Agriculture Canada, was cited as saying that Canada is trying to reopen potato markets in Mexico to partly offset losses from a U.S. ban on P.E.I. potatoes. The story explains that Mexico has banned seed potato imports from New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island off and on since 1992 out of concern over viruses known as PVYn and PVYntn. But Canada is launching renewed efforts to end the dispute in light of an estimated $25 million in lost exports to the United States. The story says that the Americans, whose potato markets are flooded this year, have blocked P.E.I. potato imports since October after a fungus was found in one corner of a single field. Mexico has banned imports of seed potatoes from New Brunswick and are allowing such limited shipments from Prince Edward Island that it has essentially been shut out of the market. Technical level discussions are being held with Mexico about the new conditions, "which we don't think are scientifically justified,'' Norman said. When the border was open, Canada shipped about 17,000 tonnes of potatoes to Mexico annually, mostly from New Brunswick and the Island. Neither Norman nor the P.E.I. Potato Board's Ivan Noonan had dollar figures, but Noonan said the Mexican market was once significant.
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AGNET JANUARY 5, 2001 CANADA RESTRICTS SPUD SHIPMENTS: IN ITS CONTINUING DISPUTE WITH U.S. OVER
P.E.I. POTATOES, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGREES TO ALTER SPUD DELIVERIES
WITHIN ITS BORDERS. The Canadian federal government and Prince Edward Island's potato board have, according to this story, agreed to some restrictions demanded by the United States on the movement of P.E.I. potatoes within Canada in attempts to reopen shipments south. The proposed measures, agreed to in a letter sent to U.S. officials yesterday, would be temporary and could be lifted after consultations under the North American Free Trade Agreement over the health of Island spuds. The dispute arose after a potato-wart fungus was found in a field of potatoes in P.E.I. But a disgruntled manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board, Ivan Noonan was cited as saying from Charlettown yesterday that he's fed up with U.S. intransigence on the issue, calling it outrageous that Washington thinks it can dictate domestic policy to Ottawa, adding, "There's no science to this thing now. It's political. We're willing to meet reasonable requirements temporarily to ship to the U.S. again, but they are not going to dictate what we do in Canada.'' Yet
P.E.I. potatoes are already being moved within Canada in 50-pound bags
or smaller, in keeping with a U.S. demand made Dec. 13, Noonan said. The U.S. is also demanding documentation on
P.E.I. potatoes transported
within Canada, ostensibly to prevent potentially infected spuds from being
repackaged elsewhere and exported to the United States. Canada has also agreed to wash and spray potato exports to prevent sprouts
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Globe and Mail, 3 January 2001 OTTAWA
TAKES POTATO DISPUTE TO NAFTA
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AGNET JANUARY 3, 2001 CANADA SENDS POTATO DISPUTE WITH U.S. TO NAFTA Pierre Pettigrew, Canada's international trade minister, was cited as requesting negotiations under the North American Free Trade Agreement to solve the thorny issue, which centers on a rare fungus found on some potatoes grown in the Atlantic province of Prince Edward Island. The United States has said it would not end the ban, which threatens to roast P.E.I.'s main industry, until producers agree to several conditions, such as scrubbing all the potatoes.
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AGNET DECEMBER 27, 2000 POTATO WART DISEASE - CANADA (PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND): EPPO REPORT Synchytrium endobioticum (causing potato wart disease - EPPO A2 quarantine pest) was found in one farm on Prince Edward Island, Canada. To date, the disease occurred only in Newfoundland and Labrador, where phytosanitary measures have been applied since 1912. The presence of S. endobioticum in a single field in the New Annan area was confirmed in Oct 2000. The disease appears to be confined to 0.4 ha in a corner of a 24 ha field. Measures were immediately taken to prevent further spread. To determine the extent of the disease, 400 soil samples are being analyzed from the infested field and surrounding fields. At present, the situation of S. endobioticum on Prince Edward Island can be described as: Present, only in one field. Source: INTERNET - Canadian Food Inspection Agency Fact Sheet. Potato wart
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AGNET DECEMBER 22, 2000 (II) POTATO BAN DECISION DELAYED CBC CHARLOTTETOWN - It'll be another week of waiting for potato famers in Prince Edward Island. They were hoping to find out Friday whether they could resume exports to the United States. But U.S. officials now say they will not make their ruling until next week. The potatoes have been banned since disfiguring "Potato Warts" were found on several dozen spuds seven weeks ago. The ban has already cost the farmers about $22 million in lost sales. CBC reporter Ian Petrie has been covering the industry for 25 years and said, "I've never seen such despair and pessimism." He described the impact of the disease as a "horror movie". The provincial government says it will compensate the farmers who meet certain criteria. Canadian officials say the ban is politically motivated. They say the fungus was an isolated incident, and was found in only one location in the corner of a field in New Annan, P.E.I. Last week, the U.S. agreed to re-admit Island potatoes, but imposed a 40,000-hectare quarantine zone from which it would not accept them. Potato truck drivers say U.S. officials are still turning them away.
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AGNET DECEMBER 22, 2000 P.E.I. SEEKS FEDERAL AID IN POTATO WAR: COMPENSATION, NEW MARKETS NEEDED TO Peter Clark, a consultant who represents the P.E.I. government in Ottawa, was quoted as saying, "It's my understanding that the premier plans to call the prime minister and enlist his help on markets and compensation.'' Mr. Clark was cited as saying that powerful interests have successfully lobbied officials at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and it is now doubtful that retaliatory trade measures will be announced by federal Agriculture Minister Lyle Van Clief, despite his tough rhetoric earlier in the week, adding, "Escalation is the big worry. I suspect that the people who represent food processors who produce French fries for the American market aren't anxious to jeopardize the $700 million to $800 million a year they make in sales to the Americans.''
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AGNET DECEMBER 21, 2000 CANADA-SPUD WAR OTTAWA -- A fungus found in one potato field on Prince Edward Island has, according to these stories, led to a U.S. ban on spuds from the Canadian territory, prompting threats of trade retaliation by Canada. The stories say that Canadian Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief spoke with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman on Tuesday and also is considering giving federal money to affected farmers. Sylvie Millette LeDuc was cited as saying that U.S. agriculture officials were ignoring Canada's evidence that the potato wart fungus found in a field in New Annan, Prince Edward Island, had yet to turn up anywhere else, adding, "The fact that they are not prepared to move on this evidence immediately shows that this issue is unequivocally a politically driven matter," she said. She called the delay "completely unacceptable." Vanclief was also cited as telling The Guardian Wed. that he told Dan Glickman, his American counterpart, that science was on P.E.I.'s side and that maybe it's time that Canada consider protecting itself from potato pests that are present in some parts of the United States, adding, "He got my message loud and clear and I think he read into that exactly what it means. We are going to make sure that the same science . . . we will double check and triple check and quadruple check the science that is used to allow potatoes from the United States from areas where they have pests into Canada. I made it clear and I instructed the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to start to take the steps as of (Tuesday) night to enforce this prudence.''
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From Globe and Mail website, Wednesday, December 20 CANADA
CONSIDERS TRADE RETALIATION OVER PEI POTATO BAN A spokeswoman in Mr. Vanclief's office said it's evident the Americans aren't looking at the facts surrounding a potato wart fungus found in the corner of a field in New Annan, PEI. It has not been found anywhere else. "The USDA has failed to refute any of our scientific and technical responses to address their concerns about PEI potatoes," said Sylvie Millette
LeDuc. Canadian officials are still trying to reopen the border, Ms. Millette LeDuc said.
"There is no question that there has been financial hardship suffered by the producers and we are considering alternatives to alleviate these hardships," she said. Producers will be eligible for disaster assistance payments if they earn less than 70 per cent of what they averaged over the last five years. But the compensation is dependent on Ottawa's contribution. Mr. Murphy has said he and PEI Premier Pat Binns asked for a ban on potatoes from quarantined areas in the U.S., and Mr. Vanclief has indicated he's willing to take those steps.
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AGNET DECEMBER 14, 2000 U.S. ENDS BAN ON P.E.I. POTATOES BUT DEMANDS QUARANTINE ZONE: PROVINCE READY TO BEGIN SHIPPING FRESH MARKET SPUDS WHILE WORKING TO REDUCE SIZE OF 100,000-ACRE ZONE AROUND SITE OF DISEASE. The Guardian (Charlottetown) According to this story, a technical meeting held in Washington, D.C., spilled well into the night Wednesday, but finally confirmed the shipment ban on P.E.I. fresh market potatoes would end provided certain stipulations were applied by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The story says that one of those stipulations could require the establishment of a restrictive zone almost one-eighth the size of Prince Edward Island -- or more than 100,000 acres, according to officials. Ivan Noonan, general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board, was quoted as saying late Wednesday night after monitoring the conference calls that kept many officials working past midnight that, "It's ridiculous . . . but we're going to begin shipping immediately and we'll just work to shrink that zone. I'm not satisfied with the results but at least we can ship.'' The story explains that the high-level technical meeting began Wednesday morning and took the entire day and night as American and Canadian officials hammered out an agreement to end the six-week border closure that has cost the Island potato industry millions of dollars. Growers had already lost the Thanksgiving market and didn't want to lose the Christmas marketplace. Malpeque MP Wayne Easter was quoted as saying from Ottawa Wednesday night that, "This is a bunch of malarkey and I say it's time for a fight and let's get at it. Progress has certainly been made, but the United States is imposing restrictions on Prince Edward Island that in my view are not based on science.'' Easter wants the federal government to launch trade retaliations against the United States for the constant delays over a fungal disease isolated and contained since its discovery in October. The potato wart, which disfigures the spud, was discovered in a New Annan field operated by Cavendish Farms and 6,000 soil samples around the region have shown no signs of the disease spreading. Easter was further quoted as saying, "I hope Ivan and the crew say to hell with it and let's ship and see where that leads us. There's never been such extensive testing for a fungal disease in North America and the consumers down there are demanding our product.''
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AGNET DECEMBER 11, 2000 PEI POTATO WART UPDATE On October 24, 2000, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed the presence of potato wart disease (Synchytrium endobioticum) in a portion of a field in Prince Edward Island. This is the first and only finding of the fungal disease in Canada outside Newfoundland and Labrador, where areas affected are not commercially grown and have been under quarantine since 1912. The CFIA acted quickly to put controls in place to prevent the spread of this fungus and protect the disease-free status of the rest of P.E.I., other potato-producing provinces and countries importing Canadian potatoes. Actions to date include immediate quarantine of the area where the fungus was found, a prohibition on the movement of potatoes and machinery from the affected field, contact and surrounding fields, collecting thousands of soil samples in the affected field and surrounding area, conducting trace backs, and investigating past farming practices on the affected field. On a regular basis, CFIA will provide a table of results which can be accessible from the CFIA web site http://www.cfia-acia.agr.ca.
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From AGNET, 21 November 2000 OTTAWA
WILL ASK U.S. TO END POTATO BAN Armed with the quality science of more than 1,000 clear tests, the Canadian federal government is, according to this story, prepared to move full speed ahead today and ask the United States to lift its ban on Prince Edward Island potatoes and reopen the Maine border. P.E.I. Agriculture Minister Mitch Murphy was quoted as confirming in a conference call from Toronto Monday night that, "The federal minister (Lyle Vanclief) is convinced the science has been proven. In Vanclief's words, it was full court press to get the border opened." The story says that the minister was in Ontario to press the case that the discovery and quarantine of potato wart in a New Annan field a month ago was completely isolated and contained by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Murphy was further quoted as saying, "There's no reason in the world that APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services of the U.S. Department of Agriculture) shouldn't accept this scientific evidence. If they don't, we've got a bigger issue, a trade issue." Murphy's interview came on the heels of a meeting with Vanclief who, while campaigning for next Monday's federal election, left a debate Monday night with Conservative Leader Joe Clark to meet with the P.E.I. contingent consisting of Potato Board general manager Ivan Noonan and potato wart expert Dr. Ken Proudfoot from Newfoundland.
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From AGNET, 19 November 2000 POTATO WART DISEASE - NETHERLANDS From: Dick Hamilton
rihamilto@home.com Determination of Pest Status of Synchytrium endobioticum (Potato wart disease) in the Netherlands Contrary to an earlier ProMED PLANT Digest (v2000.n58), potato wart disease is not common in the Netherlands. At present the pest status is considered 'Present - only in some areas where host crop(s) are grown', in alignment with descriptions of pest status as part of international phytosanitary standards. Absence of the pest in areas used for the production of seed potatoes is confirmed by survey. Potato wart disease originated in the Andes region in South America and entered England in 1876. It was first reported on the European continent in Czechoslovakia (1888), subsequently spreading over the entire continent. The disease was first found in the Netherlands around 1914, and gradually spread in potato-growing regions until the Second World War. In the early 1950s, the disease had become such a problem that in the north-eastern part of the country, potato cultivars susceptible to pathotype I were forbidden. Further phytosanitary measures contained the disease until 1973 but by 1991 pathotypes I and II were again detected in parts of the country. Results of intensive surveys showed that potato wart occurs in 2 areas used for the cultivation of ware/table potatoes. Pathotype 2 only occurred in the northeastern region (24 fields) and pathotype 1 only in the southeast (32 fields). Seed potato production is not permitted in these areas. Strict phytosanitary measures are being applied to prevent further spread and to eradicate infestations. Sources: 1.
Hendriks, H. and Pieters, R. (1998) Wart Disease in the Netherlands., In:
Annual Report 1997., Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries, The Netherlands, p. 88 - 91. Contact person for further information:
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From AGNET, 14 November 2000 P.E.I. POTATO OFFICIALS ENCOURAGED TESTS SHOW DISEASE IN JUST ONE FIELD:
PROVINCE STILL AWAITING WORD ON WHAT U.S. NEEDS TO RE-OPEN BORDER TO ISLAND Murphy was further cited as saying that the province has been working in co-operation with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to increase the scale and pace of testing as much as possible, adding, "If they said they needed personnel or a particular piece of equipment, we've bought it for them. When this started there was one lab that could test for potato wart in all of North America and that was in St. John's, Newfoundland. Now there are three labs in St. John's, Charlottetown and Ottawa.''
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From AGNET, 12 November 2000 IDAHO POTATO GROWERS SAY WART FUNGUS COULD DEVASTATE INDUSTRY: WANT STRICTER
BORDER CONTROLS - POTATO GROWERS' SPOKESPERSON John Thompson, an official with the 450-member Idaho Potato Growers Association, was cited as saying his association is worried the American government didn't go far enough when it sealed U.S. borders to Island potatoes and that Idaho growers fear there are too many leaks in the border that could allow the deadly fungus to sneak in and devastate the economy of a state that earns most of its income from farming, adding, "We don't have a fishery." The story says that Idaho wants the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to impose a complete ban on potatoes, fruits, vegetables and even livestock from the rest of the country, with Thompson further quoted as saying, "We've got reports that livestock could pass the fungus through their digestive systems." Instead, the story says the National Potato Board, the USDA and Ottawa and Island potato growers struck a deal at an ad hoc potato meeting last week in Maine that kept American borders open to all Canadian potatoes, except for the Island's. The story adds the deal was struck when Island growers agreed to package all
potatoes for shipment in bags of 20 pounds or less to reduce the threat of
P.E.I. potatoes getting mixed with potato products from other provinces
shipped to the United States. But Thompson, and many other growers, feel a sense of betrayal, especially
since, the story says, they've received unconfirmed reports the potato wart
fungus found on P.E.I. may have come from Saskatchewan, with Thompson Last year Idaho farmers raised 395,000 acres of potatoes, more than three times P.E.I.'s acreage. Islanders fears about the loss of markets are understandable, said Thompson, but he reminded P.E.I. growers that when outbreaks of viral or fungal plant diseases occurred in the United States, Ottawa moved swiftly to seal borders tight. A prime example is the case of the plum pox, which showed up in Pennsylvania crops a few years back. It led to Canadian provinces banning many different types of fruit from the United States. Canadians should be proud they have a government that acts decisively to control the threat of agricultural diseases, but at the same time they shouldn't attack the American government for taking similar actions to protect American growers' interests, said Thompson.
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From AGNET, 9 November 2000 THIS IS A PROBLEM WE CAN'T IGNORE PROTECTING OUR POTATOES: THE ISLAND POTATO
INDUSTRY MAY NOT SURVIVE THE POTATO WART. Hendricken says Island growers suffered an irreversible blow with the outbreak in 1990 of a wildly exaggerated and supremely mishandled case of a virus PVYn. This cut off, and debilitated for the long term, the market for P.E.I.'s seed potatoes. By 1994, when the dust had settled, the seed market had already declined by approximately 20 per cent. Hendricken goes on to say that all farmers should be warned that products other than potatoes could be affected. The experience of Newfoundland indicates that all root crops, or any soil-carrying produce, have been banned from most out-of-province markets.
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From AGNET, 6 November 2000 P.E.I. POTATO BOARD GM ATTENDS MAINE MEETING: IVAN NOONAN SAYS POTATO WART
AND CLOSED BORDER WILL DOMINATE INDUSTRY SESSION PLANNED BEFORE PROBLEMS. Noonan was cited as saying he intends to show American growers that P.E.I. growers have complied and are following the action plan developed by growers in Maryland when growers there faced the same problem a few years ago and eradicated the potato wart. Noonan said he knows Mike Corey, executive director of the Maine Potato Board, personally and believes that when Corey said they would reopen the border if test samples showed everything was OK on P.E.I., he meant it.
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From AGNET, 4 November 2000 FINDING THE CAUSE OF A POTATO WART America's decision to close its border to Island potatoes has to, according
to this editorial, come as a blow to Island farmers, but blaming the Americans won't achieve anything. Stopping the potato wart fungus that led
to the ban will. The editorial says that the best use of everyone's efforts is to quash this When the answers are in, P.E.I.'s regulators are going to have to be as ruthless as the USDA has ever thought of being. The editorial goes on to say that P.E.I.'s potatoes have enjoyed a reputation of health and quality that helped us gain access to world markets. Disease in the crop mars that reputation and threatens those markets. Fighting about the ban won't correct the root problem. Fighting to control this latest biological threat just might.
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From AGNET, 2 November 2000 U.S. NOT READY TO REOPEN BORDER WITHOUT MORE POTATO WART STUDY:
P.E.I. While P.E.I. agriculture officials hurry to study and contain a potato disease that has led to Island spuds being banned from the U.S., American officials were cited as saying it's too early to say what measures, if any, will persuade them to lift the ban. The story explains that the United States Department of Agriculture imposed an indefinite ban on all shipment of P.E.I. potatoes Tuesday in response to the discovery of a fungal disease known as potato wart. The disease was found last week in a single field in the New Annan area. The soil-borne fungus causes an unsightly knobby outgrowth on the surface of potatoes that makes them unmarketable. Kim Smith, a spokesperson with the USDA in Riverdale, Maryland, was cited as saying American and Canadian agriculture officials are co-operating in looking at the problem and sharing information, but they haven't decided what steps need to be taken before the border will be reopened, adding, ``It's so new and there's so much that's still unknown about how it got there and how long it was in the field before it was detected. It's just a matter of further research right now and finding out what we can about this.'' In Charlottetown Wednesday, Potato Board manager Ivan Noonan joined Agriculture Minister Mitch Murphy, Don Love, regional director of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and plant health expert Dr. Ken Proudfoot to explain their efforts to contain the fungal invasion and to regain access to the American marketplace. Proudfoot was cited as saying the steps taken so far should help contain the disease. Harvesting efforts were stopped as soon as the first affected potato was seen, the affected potatoes were quickly processed and all the harvesting equipment was disinfected. Scientists are examining 400 soil samples from the field where potato wart was detected and are looking in surrounding fields to see if it may have spread that far. Proudfoot said it seems the outbreak may be confined to a localized area. The story says that potato wart was found in home gardens in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland but has since been considered eradicated in the North American mainland. The disease is found in Newfoundland and is also common in the Netherlands, where the world's largest seed potato industry continues unabated. Spores from the fungus can live in soil for 30 years but only takes effect during cold, wet conditions.
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From AgNet. 31 October 2000 FUNGAL DISEASE LEADS TO AMERICAN BAN ON
P.E.I. POTATO SHIPMENTS CHARLOTTETOWN - The United States has, according to these stories, closed its border to shipments of P.E.I. potatoes because of the fungal disease, potato wart, in an Island field. Ivan Noonan, general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board, was cited as saying that news of the indefinite U.S. ban reached Island potato officials Tuesday afternoon, adding, ``We were caught completely by surprise. We weren't expecting this kind of action. We'd been completely open with U.S. officials about the situation. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency notified them and we invited them up here to assess the situation for themselves.'' Noonan was further cited as saying the fungal disease was found in one corner of the field and officials moved quickly to keep it from spreading, adding, ``This U.S. reaction is a reaction we don't like. We were doing everything we could possibly do to contain this situation. Malpeque MP Wayne Easter was cited as saying he has asked federal Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief and the Department of International Trade to take action to protect the interests of Island potato producers, adding, ``We thought we could all work along together on this. ... U.S.) political leadership has taken any avenue they could find in the past to initiate action against potato shipments from Canada.'' Premier Pat Binns was cited as saying the province wasn't going to overreact to the ban, adding, ``We've seen the U.S. react quickly before, especially in the northern states that view us as a competitor.'' The stories note that the United States buys almost 10 per cent of the total P.E.I. crop each year. About 2.5 million hundredweight of Island potatoes crossed the U.S. border last year.
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