New potato wart case reignites US-Canada trade dispute over PEI imports
According to industry submissions, the pathogen can persist in soil for decades, and no chemical treatment is currently available to eliminate it.
UNITED STATES – The National Potato Council, together with 13 state potato organizations, has formally asked the USDA to immediately reinstate restrictions on fresh potato shipments from Canada’s Prince Edward Island (PEI) following confirmation of potato wart in a previously unregulated field.
Potato wart is a soil-borne disease that affects potato production and remains a highly sensitive issue in the North American potato trade.
According to industry submissions, the pathogen can persist in soil for decades, and no chemical treatment is currently available to eliminate it. Therefore, the disease threatens trade, as an introduction into US production areas could trigger devastating international trade bans and long-term soil contamination.
A disease outbreak would substantially impact the US economy. The NPC cited the US potato sector’s contribution of more than US$100 billion annually to the national economy and support for more than 714,000 jobs.
“Given that this new detection has occurred in an entirely new field without any association with previous finds, it reinforces our continued concerns over the true scope of the disease in PEI production areas,” wrote Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council. “Therefore, we renew our strong objection to allowing imports of fresh potatoes from PEI into the US.”
The specific safeguards proposed to manage biosecurity risks include tighter controls on bulk shipments, enhanced traceability requirements for retail packs, and additional safeguards for agricultural waste generated during handling and processing.
The request revives a dispute that has persisted since late 2021, when US authorities temporarily halted imports of PEI fresh potatoes, only to allow trade to resume in May 2022. Despite mitigation protocols introduced after trade resumed, industry leaders argue that current surveillance measures are insufficient and may not fully reflect the extent of disease occurrence on PEI.
For MEA fresh-produce stakeholders, this ongoing biosecurity dispute illustrates how a single detection of a pathogen can destabilize established trade corridors.
The potato wart case carries lessons for African and Middle East exporters: robust surveillance, traceability, and pre-export certification are not merely compliance burdens but essential tools for maintaining market access.
However, the unified pressure from 13 state organizations signals that trade disruptions remain a real possibility. Exporters of any fresh produce commodity should monitor destination-market biosecurity debates closely and diversify export destinations to mitigate the risk of sudden access loss.
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