PEI government ends disinfection program to prevent ring rot; Potato Board blindsided.

Ring rot is a potato disease caused by the bacterium Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus. (Courtesy AHDB Potatoes)

November 11, 2015

Source

The Guardian

The Prince Edward Island government is cutting funding to provincially-funded disinfection service, aimed at controlling potato ring rot.

The move is expected to impact one full-time job, which is being transferred within the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, and several part-time and seasonal positions that will most likely be lost.

The disinfection service has been in place for more than 30 years, spraying potato transport trucks arriving on P.E.I., local machinery and warehouses, for a disease called bacterial ring rot, which can be devastating for potato crops.

Adding to the government’s decision is the relative rarity of the disease the program is meant to resist. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency reports five cases of bacterial ring rot since 2008 in all of Canada.

Agriculture Minister Alan McIsaac said Monday that the province will continue to offer resources to farmers that find themselves facing outbreaks of disease and there is funding available for farms who want to continue to spray for ring rot on their own initiative.

PEI Potato Board Blindsided

Greg Donald, general manager of the Prince Edward Island Potato Board

“At least in terms of our seed potatoes, [ending this program] is very reckless,” said Greg Donald, general manager of the Prince Edward Island Potato Board. “It puts our whole industry at risk and it’s dangerous.”

Donald found out Monday that as of Dec. 31, 2015 the province will be cutting funding to a 30-year-old disinfection service aimed at controlling a virulent disease called potato ring rot.

The news blindsided Island potato growers, said Donald, and until they got the call informing them of the cuts, the board was under the impression that they and the province were working together to come up with a compromise to save it.

“We’ve always had a good relationship with the department of agriculture, in engaging, working together and coming together to meet challenges – but on this one we have a new minister and new deputy minister and it’s different,” said Donald

Most of the program - costing around CAD 500.000/year - is paid for by taxpayers, but the industry has contributed with a $10-per-truck fee since 1997. However, that fee pays for less than half of the total cost of the program. “For all we knew, the $10 … was full cost recovery. We didn’t even know (the program) was losing money. We weren’t made aware of that … I was told I couldn’t’ have access to that,” said Donald.

“We’ve been fortunate here that we haven’t had bacterial ring rot for several years. But I think that’s not good luck, it’s good management.”

Source: The Guardian

Update:

Prince Edward Island Potato Board News Release on this topic