b"In October 2022 the pathways analysisrecommendations about how to manageexport from the Island with some allowed report was released by the USDA forpotato wart. The report was receivedon a case-by-case basis. Henry says public consultation. Once released, theby the CFIA in late 2022 and was goingchanges will hinge on ensuring any P.E.I. National Potato Council, along with athrough reviews at the time of publicationseed potatoes come from pest free fields.dozen state potato associations, wrotebefore it should be released publicly inAny consideration to change our a letter to the USDA calling for themlate January. current position really involves looking to work with the CFIA to develop newIt's really a good opportunity to shareat it from the science-based position of phytosanitary protocols to prevent thethat experience and to listen and hearcompleting the investigation. Looking spread of potato wart from P.E.I. to U.S.recommendations coming from folksat the international panel, they did give growing areas. outside of Canada. That report, of courseadvice on the management of seed Consultations between USDA andbecomes one of the pillars to reviewingpotatoes, Henry explains. And then of CFIA to review investigation results arethe current management plan for futurecourse, looking at the trade relationship still happening on a regular basis. USDAchanges, Gordon Henry, nationaland having discussions with the States.officials also visited P.E.I. in August 2022manager of the field crop section for CFIA,Until then, the P.E.I. potato industry is to observe how the investigation wasexplains in a phone interview. working hard to prove the safety of their proceeding and how the Long-TermThe potato wart investigation is stillspuds and get all their growers able to Management Plan requirements wereongoing and once complete the CFIAexport potatoes again.implemented.The USDA and CFIA Pestis considering making changes toA whole series of things in addition Risk Assessors visited the Island for thethe Potato Wart Domestic Long-Termhave happened back here on P.E.I., and same purpose in October 2022. Management Plan. The CFIA hopes tothe level of biosecurity in our industry As part of the CFIAs investigation, theyhave sampling of P.E.I. potato fields doneon (the) farm level, service industry-like put together a panel of five independentby March. Any changes will be madecustom operators, fertilizer companies, international experts who have expertisebased on the results from the samples, theconsultants, crop scouts, it was already a in potato wart research. This groupinternational panels report, work fromhigh level of good biosecurity practices, travelled to P.E.I. in August 2022 to getthe Canadian government working group,it pushed it way up, Donald says I feel firsthand experience of potato productionwhich includes representatives frompretty strongly I think, including seed on the Island and see the potato wartthe government and local P.E.I. potatopotatoes, I don't know of a safer place in monitoring thats in place. They compiledindustry, and consultation from the U.S.the world to source potatoes from than a report which includes observations andSeed potatoes are still restricted forhere. 20SPUDSMART.COM Winter 2023"