Farmers in one province are outraged by government bans
In 2021, all farmers were banned from shipping potatoes to the United States and other Canadian provinces. What was the reason?
Farmers from Prince Edward Island are outraged by the export ban, because not all areas have had the fungus. According to a report last week, most of the Island remains clean. And the measures taken to restrict the product were "excessive."
The fungal parasite, a disease that disfigures potatoes but poses no threat to human health, spreads through the movement of infected potatoes, soil and farm implements.
As of November 21, 2021, Canada stopped shipping its most prominent exports from the Island. In April 2022, shipments partially resumed. Farmers were unhappy with the order, which said that all fields were infested, although they were partial areas: 36 out of 10,000.
As a result, farmers lost more than $50 million CAD and destroyed 115 million kilograms of potatoes, as did reduce workers' wages. But seed potatoes, which represent 10% of all annual production, are still banned from entering the United States and other Canadian provinces.
Farmers live in anticipation of the removal of restrictions. After all, they are sure that if the pest is present, it is under control.
The commission's report includes recommendations for growing a new variety of potatoes that is resistant to the fungus, creating biosafety control zones and ensuring high standards for cleaning agricultural equipment.
The economy of Prince Edward Island is built on agriculture. It is these territories that grow most of the potatoes, so they constantly need additional workers in the fields. Even in spite of the crisis, the volume of produce grown is quite large.
