05/16/08 PCN guidelines revised

The US Department of Agriculture and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have issued new guidelines should there be future detection of potato cyst nematode on either side of the border. Will Wise of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service says the revised guidelines will allow potato trade between the two countries to continue. WISE "After the 2006 detections there was an original guideline set up and then these are revisions. For new detections there are a couple of requirements that should give us better data and help characterize the distribution of these nematodes and what we can do with regard to trade." Currently seed potatoes from Alberta, Canada are not eligible for export to the US because of the detection of potato cyst nematode last year. Wise says new guidelines will allow some of those seed potatoes into the US if they meet the new criteria. WISE "One thing that will happen is that states or provinces that already have a regulated area will have their seed potatoes surveyed and the detection in Alberta was for seed potatoes and that's the first time on the continent that that's taken place. So one of the things you see in the guidelines is a lot more attention to seed potato fields." Wise says one change will be made in the field detection work. WISE "Because of the nature of the pest we're going to the more full field survey that will give us better data on both seed and commercial fields going forward." Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott