Testing from a 2022 Canadian Food Inspection Agency survey for potato wart has yielded positive results.

The national survey that involved nearly 1500 samples from 77 fields did not detect potato wart in the soil.

The survey included fields in British  Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.

This is a step in the Government of Canada’s efforts to help contain and control the spread of the fungus and reassure domestic and international trading partners.

Results have been provided to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the Canadian Potato Council.

The potato industry is the fifth-largest primary agriculture crop in Canada.

In November 2021, the US border closed to PEI potatoes until April 2022, after the wart was detected in two fields, which meant millions of dollars in lost revenue.

Seed potatoes are still not permitted to cross the provincial border from PEI.