P.E.I. wary of increased spud scrutiny

MOUNT STEWART, Prince Edward Island – Prince Edward Island is in danger of becoming a “processing province” because of stringent testing for the potato wart fungus, a spokesman for growers said.

Danny Hendricken, district director of the National Farmers Union, said Monday it is “totally unbelievable” the United States was able to force the island to hire 130 new inspectors to check 5,500 potato fields over a three-year period.

He said that amount of testing is bound to turn up pests that could lead to quarantines.

“They’re dictating our domestic sales,” Hendricken said of the Americans.

Last week, U.S. inspectors were on the island to evaluate the progress of potato wart monitoring in place for this year’s fall harvest.

Hendricken said a number of potato-producing U.S. states, including Maryland and Virginia, were able to continue exporting spuds less than a decade ago after the fungus was found, without stringent testing and quarantines.

“Little documentation was needed,” he said.

Hendricken accused the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the federal government of betraying island growers by allowing such comprehensive testing. He said thousands of earlier samples proved the fungus hadn’t spread beyond a small corner of one Prince Edward Island field.

The United States closed its borders to Island potatoes last fall after potato wart was found in that field. The wart is a contagious virus that causes ugly protuberances on potatoes.

The six-month closure cost the Prince Edward Island potato industry as much as $30 million.

Island growers and politicians accused the Americans of using the potato wart as an excuse to keep their potatoes out of the U.S. market.