U.S. spud demands to be met

OTTAWA – The Canadian federal government and Prince Edward Island’s potato board have agreed to some U.S. restrictions on the movement of potatoes from the island province within Canada in attempts to reopen shipments south.

Canada agreed to the proposed measures in a letter sent to U.S. officials Thursday. However, the restrictions could be temporary – Canadian officials have filed a complaint on them under the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The dispute over the health of Prince Edward Island potatoes arose after a potato wart fungus was found in a field of potatoes on the island.

The measures call for potatoes to be moved within Canada in 50-pound bags or smaller. The U.S. is also demanding documentation on Prince Edward Island 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 from growing, and to ship all Island potatoes through Houlton, Maine. However, Canada rejected a U.S. ban on Prince Edward Island seed potatoes.

The Prince Edward Island and Canadian governments are also discussing compensating farmers for at least some of the $25 million they are estimated to have lost since the United States closed its border to potato shipments more than eight weeks ago.

A disgruntled manager of the potato board said Thursday that Washington is trying to dictate domestic policy to Ottawa. “There’s no science to this thing now,” Ivan Noonan said from Charlottetown. “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.”

Terry Norman, director of Western Hemisphere trade policy at Agriculture Canada, said the restrictions are unnecessary.

“We’re doing this under protest,” Norman said. “We don’t think these requirements are scientifically justified but, in the interests of getting some exports from Prince Edward Island moving, we’re doing this.”

The U.S. imposed the ban after potato wart was found in one corner of a field in New Annan, Prince Edward Island, in October. The problem has not been found anywhere else, including elsewhere in that field.

The potato wart, a fungal disease that renders the vegetables unmarketable, can be transferred in soil and the spores can be wind-blown in dry soil.