Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay from PEI in Washington last week to meet with U-S Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.
The key issue on the agenda was potatoes.
The two focusing in on the importance of restoring market access for PEI potatoes.
The Ministers calling on the U.S. to prioritize restoring trade of table stock potatoes as a first step, to Puerto Rico and the continental U.S.
Table stock potatoes have a negligible risk of transmitting potato wart and represent the biggest proportion of PEI's exports of fresh potatoes to the U.S.
As a result, Secretary Vilsack providing clear direction to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to proceed expeditiously with the risk analysis of exporting PEI table stock potatoes to Puerto Rico and the continental U.S.
During the meeting, Bibeau and Vilsack also discussed dairy tariff rate quotas and the need to work together on supply chain challenges like transportation and critical infrastructure.
They also underscored the importance of working collaboratively to address climate change and environmental sustainability in the ag sector.
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