U.S. promises to reopen border to P.E.I; Canada welcomes move

Toronto: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) welcomes the news from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) today, that imports of Prince Edward Island (PEI) potatoes for consumption can now resume to the United States with conditions. Field grown seed potatoes from PEI may not be exported to the U.S. at this time.

CFIA staff worked tirelessly for several months to provide the scientific evidence the U.S. requested and to reassure them that PEI potatoes for consumption are safe for trade. Resolving this issue has been a top priority for CFIA and APHIS, who were both committed to scientific integrity underpinning their technical discussions and risk assessments, officials said in a statement.

The Agency worked closely with APHIS to discuss and review the updates to the phytosanitary risk mitigation measures in the U.S. Federal Order.