Prince Edward Island is facing a new push by the Washington-based National Potato Council to reinstate a ban on fresh spuds from the province, citing a new case of potato wart, a soil-borne fungal disease that destroys crops but is harmless to human health.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed to Global News that it detected the presence of potato wart in soil samples collected from one potato field in P.E.I.
“The detection is limited to a single potato field identified through routine survey sampling and analysis, and there is currently no evidence of symptomatic tubers or spread to other fields,” the CFIA stated to Global News via email.
“The farm where the detection occurred does not export potatoes and produces seed potatoes for on-farm use only. Potatoes produced on the farm are primarily for on-island processing.”
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Support for the proposed ban sought by the U.S. potato industry group is backed by 13 American state potato organizations, including the Maine Potato Board, Idaho Grower Shippers Association and the Northland Potato Growers Association.
The call for the ban did not specify any other details about the farm where the disease was detected in recent soil sampling.
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“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 P.E.I. production areas,” wrote Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council, in a press release from May 18, 2026.
“Therefore, we renew our strong objection to allowing imports of fresh potatoes from P.E.I. into the U.S.”
Fresh potatoes make up about 18 per cent of P.E.I.’s total spud exports to the U.S., with Wisconsin, Georgia, Pennsylvania and New York ranked as top buyers, according to Canadian government data. Potato wart has not been detected in the U.S. since 1994.
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French fry fungi: PEI potato exports to the U.S. banned due to potato warts
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The National Potato Council’s press release states that American exposure to potato wart has the potential to “trigger devastating economic consequences for domestic family farms.”
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“The U.S. potato industry generates more than $100 billion in annual economic activity and supports over 714,000 jobs. A domestic outbreak would prompt an immediate loss of access to all international fresh potato markets, costing American growers over $225 million in direct annual export losses and billions more in indirect economic damage,” the press release reads.
The National Potato Wart Response Plan became effective in Canada as of March 5, 2025, which is set to outline “phytosanitary measures to improve the processes used to help contain, control, and prevent the spread of potato wart in Canada (excluding Newfoundland and Labrador).”
The measures of the plan include “the requirement for an implemented farm-based preventive control plan, increased soil analysis and the addition of equipment cleanliness requirements, are applied to fields following the detection and confirmation of potato wart […] and an investigation procedure […]to delimit potential spread,” according to the government website.
P.E.I.’s department of agriculture stated to Global News that the department is “following the situation closely.”
“We remain supportive of the National Potato Wart Response Plan and the work of CFIA, and we support the statement issued by CFIA regarding the detection.”
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
