04/24/06 Spuds banned after nematode discovery

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is temporarily banning the import of potatoes and soil from Idaho because of the discovery of two pinhead sized Potato Cyst Nematodes. CFIA says it will send a delegation to Idaho to review the findings and gather more information about PCN. USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service says the nematodes were traced to an unidentified Idaho location and 500 acres are under quarantine. What does the Canadian ban mean to Idaho seed, fresh or processing growers? Keith Esplin of the Potato Growers of Idaho. ESPLIN "As soon as they see how it's being handled and how APHIS and the Idaho Department of Agriculture dealing with it we're very confident they'll restore that. It's not going to be an issue for very long." In the overall scheme of things Canada isn't the only concern. A much larger market now also temporarily closed is Mexico. The Mexican government is banning Idaho fresh potato imports and this comes at a time when Idaho and the US had finally been able to penetrate what had been a previously closed Mexican market. The Japanese have stopped the shipment of all US potatoes. That market had just opened within the past year and was small, limited to chipping potatoes. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott