The Canadian Federal Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s 2021 ruling classifying all of Prince Edward Island as infested with potato wart. National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles says this ruling validates the NPC view that this is a disease issue and not a trade war with Canada. “The growers on Prince Edward Island had apparently sued their own federal government for taking actions to try to mitigate the disease,” said Quarles. “The court basically confirmed exactly what we have been saying, it’s a phytosanitary issue and it’s a disease issue. It’s a terrible disease to get in potatoes and you don’t want it spreading throughout Canada or into the United States.” The potato industry continues to wait for the Canadian Government to finalize its potato wart mitigation plan updates.
