Border potato ban discussed

WASHINGTON – U.S. and Canadian officials met Wednesday for more than six hours to discuss reopening the U.S. border to Canadian potatoes.

The meeting, expected to begin Tuesday, was delayed when Prince Edward Island potato farmers found themselves at the mercy of the weather because of a snowstorm.

Canadian agriculture officials argued during Wednesday’s session that the border should be open to potatoes from Prince Edward Island, according to David Lavway of Presque Isle, a National Potato Council representative.

As expected, U.S. agriculture officials were resisting any effort to have the border reopened.

No decision was expected Wednesday, according to Lavway.

Canadian and U.S. officials weren’t able to arrive Tuesday because of disrupted air travel.

“It stormed in Toronto, and everyone who was supposed to get there got delayed,” said Ivan Noonan, general manager of the Prince Edward Island Potato Board.

Canadian officials are trying to get the Americans to lift a ban on potatoes from the province. The ban has been in place since potato wart, a fungal disease, was found in one field on the island six weeks ago.

Federal Solicitor General Lawrence MacAulay, a member of Parliament from the province, said the border is expected to reopen “in a day or two.”

“This has gone on too long, and believe me, the time has come to end it,” MacAulay said. “The tests have shown that … this fungus is restricted to one small area.”

Canadian officials have conducted more than 6,000 tests and say the disease is completely isolated and poses no threat. Island producers have accused the Americans of using the wart as an excuse to stop their potatoes from crossing the border.

“If we find that a game is being played here, there is no question we will take reciprocal action against those American states where we would have legitimate reasons to impose similar restrictions,” said Wayne Easter, a Prince Edward Island member of Parliament.

More than 700 truckloads of potatoes would have headed south over the past six weeks. The border closing has reduced that to a trickle of repackaged potatoes and about 25 trucks a week.

It has forced Prince Edward Island producers and packers to lay off employees and shut down some operations. It has meant an estimated loss of about $1.64 million (U.S.) to the province’s major agricultural industry.