WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD News) — Potato growers are welcoming new USDA regulations aimed at reducing the threat of potato wart from Prince Edward Island.
Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council, joined us on Monday’s Market Day Report to discuss the new APHIS regulations. He said potato wart is not currently present in the U.S. and could have major consequences for growers if it enters the country.
The regulations address waste from bulk potato shipments that could transmit the disease.
In his conversation with RFD News, Quarles also discussed a longstanding anti-dumping order affecting U.S. potatoes entering British Columbia and broader trade tensions with Canada. He said those tensions could raise costs for growers on products such as fertilizer and farm equipment.
Quarles also discussed the Farm Bill, saying he is hopeful Congress can pass the legislation by the end of the year.
