Security Cameras help keep Prince Edward Island Potatoes safe

The potato harvest on Prince Edward Island is now underway and many farmers have installed security cameras in their fields and around machinery due to potato tampering concerns.

Last fall, sharp steel needles and other metal objects were detected in P.E.I. potatoes at processing plants and in bags sold throughout the Atlantic region. A number of metal objects were found in potatoes again this spring.

The incidents have sent shockwaves through the Island's potato industry.

Alex Docherty, P.E.I. Potato Board chairman, is one of many farmers who have set up cameras for 24/7 surveillance.

"We're pretty confident it was this time of year that the cowards did what they did to the industry last fall. I doubt they're stupid enough to do it again, but it would be great to catch them."

Docherty says his motion-activated cameras have already caught several trespassers on his land. He has handed some of that footage to police and to conservation officers for further investigation.

The Potato board is also asking residents of rural PEI to be vigilant.