Restrict Potato Shipments From Canada, 18 Senators Tell USDA
Senate Finance Committee leaders are asking USDA to do more to prevent the introduction of potato wart into the U.S. In a June 16 letter, which was joined by seven Republicans, eight Democrats and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, asked that USDA supervise the processing facilities that use Prince Edward Island potatoes, so that the waste is treated as a biohazard.
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"We are concerned that USDA’s April 2022 decision to resume the importation of field-grown potatoes from PEI into the United States does not appear to adhere to USDA’s own scientific findings and may fail to properly mitigate the risk posed by this disease. Most notably, USDA does not require any testing of PEI fields prior to potatoes being cleared for export, despite the fact that USDA regulations identify soil testing as the most effective tool to detect potato wart."
They asked the department to limit potato shipments from Canada to 20 pounds or less, "so that any waste that occurs during the repacking process is significantly retained in Canada," because, they say, the waste generated from breaking down bulk shipments can transmit the disease.