The Canary Islands are still against a proposed solution from Madrid aimed at alleviating the current potato shortage on the islands. The shortage stems from a combination of factors, including a poor local harvest during the early growing season, and a phytosanitary blockade preventing the import of British potatoes due to an initial outbreak of the Colorado beetle in Kent.
As a possible solution, the Spanish government contemplated activating imports from other regions of the UK through regulatory changes enforced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food. However, this move is currently prohibited due to the phytosanitary blockade that applies nationwide.
Importers in the Canary archipelago have frequently sought to challenge this regulation, and the central government now views it as a potential means of supplying British potatoes to the Canary Islands. Notably, the local market has been grappling with potato shortages, with supplies occasionally disappearing from store shelves, especially domestically grown varieties. Consumers are facing rationed purchases and soaring prices.
Source: canarianweekly.com