b'CFIA APPROVED LABS Canada is home to five Canadian Food InspectionA&L Canada Laboratories Inc. in London, Ont.Agency (CFIA) approved diagnostic labs which providealcanada.comtesting services to the potato industry. Growers are(519) 457-2575encouraged to access labs located in their homeApproved for:provinces first for services. For those located in ELISA and IMF for Bacterial Ring Rot provinces without a lab, growers are encouragedELISA for Potato Viruses (S, X, Y, A, M, PLRV, PotLV to reach out to their closest lab. To access services,and PMTV)growers can contact their closest lab to send in samples.RT-PCR for Potato Viruses S, X, Y, A and PLRVPhyto Diagnostics Company Limited in P.E.I. Potato Quality Institute Inc. inNorth Saanich, B.C. Charlottetown, P.E.I.phytodiagnostics.com peipqi.ca(250) 655-1444 (902) 368-8378Approved for: Approved for: ELISA and IMF for Bacterial Ring RotELISA and IMF for Bacterial Ring Rot ELISA for Potato Viruses (S, X, Y, A, M, PLRV, PotLV ELISA for Potato Viruses (S, X, Y, A, M, PLRV,and PMTV) PotLV and PMTV) Potato Spindle Tuber ViroidPotato Spindle Tuber Viroid Post-harvest RT-PCR testing for detection of PVY, RT-PCR for Potato Viruses S, X, Y, A and PLRVPLRV, PVS, PVX and PVA in Dormant Tubers by Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction Institut de recherche et de dveloppement en agroenvironment in Quebec City, Que.Agricultural Certification Services Inc. in irda.qc.caFredericton, N.B. (418) 643-2380 ext: 421(506) 459-0293 Approved for:Approved for:ELISA and IMF for Bacterial Ring RotELISA and IMF for Bacterial Ring Rot ELISA for Potato Viruses (S, X, Y, A, M, PLRV, PotLVELISA for Potato Viruses (S, X, Y, A, M, PLRV, PotLVand PMTV)and PMTV)Potato Spindle Tuber ViroidPotato Spindle Tuber ViroidRT-PCR for Potato Viruses S, X, Y, A and PLRV RT-PCR for Potato Viruses S, X, Y, A and PLRV *Source: Canadian government websitevolume of testing. The certification program supplies Canadiana choicehe could stay on with the federal government and be growers of seed, table stock and processing potatoes with certifiedmoved to another location or take a buyout.seed of high varietal integrity relatively free of tuber borne diseases. I took the opportunity to take the buyout and start a lab Before this, the federal government had laboratories acrossprimarily at the time for the seed growers in British Columbia, the country that ran potato diagnostic testing, but the increasedEllis explains in a phone interview. He founded Phyto Diagnostics demand made the government change the testing system. At theCompany Ltd. in North Saanich, B.C. in 1996.time, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada were running labs inThese private labs are all approved under the Canadian Food locations in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Alberta.Inspection Agency (CFIA) National Approval Programtheyre In some of those labs, the local potato industry stepped up and tookapproved by the CFIA for regulatory inspection requirements. over operations, switching them to being privately run facilities. Currently there are five CFIA approved labs across Canada In New Brunswick, the diagnostic lab was transferred toincluding Phyto Diagnostics, ACS, A&L Canada Laboratories the provincial department of agriculture and then to the NewInc., P.E.I. Potato Quality Institute Inc. (PEIPQI), and Institut de Brunswick Potato Agency, which is now called Potatoes Newrecherche et de dveloppement en agroenvironment.Brunswick. Agricultural Certification Services (ACS) is inMost of the privately run labs operate on a not-for-profit model Fredericton, N.B. with operations overseen by a board of directorswith all operational costs being covered by the fees for testing made up of various people from the potato industry. servicesthey dont receive funding from outside groups. Some While some labs were moved from being public to privatelyoperate with a board of directors while others are owned and run during the transition, others were founded following theoperated independently.change. Peter Ellis had been working for Agriculture Canada at theThe CFIA approved labs arent the only potato testing labs Vancouver Research Station in British Columbia analyzing potatoin Canada. Growers also have access to numerous provincial viruses. As the government decreased testing services, Ellis was givenlaboratories which cover a wide range of crops along with labs 8SPUDSMART.COMSummer 2023'