b"the winter, Phyto Diagnostics is involved in the seed trial grow outsWe always talk as a grower group about the need for a second in Hawaii for western Canadian and Washington State seed potatoreference lab to service Western Canada. For Alberta, the biggest growers. Seed from western Canadian and Washington State seedissue there is the time that it takes to get samples over there. So, in potato lots are grown in Hawaii for quality assuranceEllis andthe case of a trace back or trace forward, which is an important part his team at Phyto Diagnostics provide the diagnostic testing for theof seed certification, it can take up to 10 days to get through a trace samples.forward just because of the time it takes to get samples from Alberta This year, we bought something like 65,000 leaves back fromto the East Coast, she explains.the Canadian samples. And we also had all of Washington StateThe CFIA has processes in place if something happens to the samples too. Washington State samples came in several days beforeCharlottetown lab, William Anderson, the executive director for we left to go down and get the Canadian ones. And they were allthe CFIAs Plant Health Science Directorate, explains in an emailed completed by the time we got back by the people in the lab, Ellisstatement. He says the labs business continuity plan (BCP) has explains, adding there was 65,000 leaves to test with results beingidentified back-up laboratories within the CFIA and private labs sent out three days later. under the CFIA Seed Potato Certification Program, that would be able to handle redirection of samples as required.The Future of Testing The Charlottetown laboratory is also obligated under the ISO/With only a smattering of diagnostic labs across the country, it begsIEC 17025 standard, (and our own BCP), to maintain back-up the question, is there enough capacity in Canada? Most working inequipment and cross-trained technicians. The Charlottetown the industry agree that capacity-wise, the private diagnostic labs arelaboratory also has the ability to quickly convert lab spaces in fulfilling the needs of the Canadian potato industry.response to test obligations or in the event of loss of containment, or I think we have enough capacity as far as private labs andspecific infrastructure issues within lab spaces, Anderson states in private testing is concerned. But as I said before, some of the testingthe email.provided on quarantine disease, I think we don't have enoughIn 2020, the CFIA completed a review where it was decided they capacity there. And that's why it takes so long for the growers to getwould carry on support for the continued centralization of testing the results, Singh says. and expertise. This allows for increased operational efficiency while In Alberta, the potato industry also has concerns about theirminimizing maintenance, infrastructure, and administrative costs being only one national laboratory in Charlottetown. Bajema says meaning the CFIA isnt considering opening a second potato lab theres worries about risk mitigation, what happens if somethingin Canada. puts the Charlottetown lab out of commission, then how does theThe annual cost to the Agency for shipping of potato samples is potato industry continue to operate testing services? considered minimal in comparison to the cost of establishing a new SPUDSMART.COMSummer 202313"