The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has finalized the National Potato Wart Response Plan, which will come into effect with the 2025 potato crop. This plan is part of CFIA's continued effort to contain, control, and prevent the spread of potato warts in Canada. It replaces the previous Potato Wart Domestic Long-term Management Plan (2009) and applies to any new detections of potato warts across Canada, excluding Newfoundland and Labrador.
The response plan outlines the actions required following a confirmed detection of potato wart. It was developed through extensive consultations with industry stakeholders, including the Canadian Potato Council, the Prince Edward Island Potato Board, and the Province of Prince Edward Island (PEI). Their input has helped ensure that the plan reflects the practical realities and expertise of growers, grower associations, and trading partners.
Among the new measures introduced in the response plan are requirements for preventive control plans, which mandate that users of restricted fields develop and implement strategies to identify and manage the risks associated with potato warts. Seed potato certification will no longer be permitted for seed potatoes grown in restricted fields, as these are considered a significant risk for spreading the disease. Additionally, soil sampling and analysis will be required before phytosanitary measures can be lifted from restricted fields.
The CFIA has met with potato growers in PEI to review the plan and explain the transition process for fields currently under restrictions. Fields in PEI already affected by potato wart restrictions will be assigned an equivalent status under the new response plan, based on the progress already made under the 2009 management plan.
The new response plan is part of a broader set of complementary measures used by the CFIA and the industry to manage potato wart and mitigate the risk of spread. These include field and tuber inspections, where CFIA, along with growers, packers, and exporters, conducts inspections and postharvest testing as required by regulations and international export requirements. Compliance with the Potato Wart Order also remains in place, continuing to restrict the movement of seed, table stock, and processing potatoes, as well as soil and farm equipment, within PEI and to other regions of Canada. Furthermore, the National Potato Wart Survey supports ongoing monitoring of potato fields across the country, providing essential data to assess the effectiveness of control measures.
These collective efforts are critical to preserving confidence in Canada's plant health system and maintaining domestic and international market access for Canadian potatoes.
For more information:
Annie Cullinan
Office of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Tel: +1 613 773 6600
Email: annie.cullinan@agr.gc.ca
www.canada.ca