Potato Rot Nematode Confirmed in Ontario

OTTAWA, August 18, 2011: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed a detection of potato rot nematode (Ditylenchus destructor) in garlic from a two-acre farm field in the Ottawa region of Ontario.

Potato rot nematode (PRN) is a regulated quarantine pest in Canada that can damage and reduce harvest yields of potatoes and other crops. This pest does not pose a risk to human health.

The affected farm does not produce potatoes or other plant material used for planting on other farms and is not in an area located near a seed potato production operation. In line with international plant health guidelines, strict quarantine measures have been implemented on the affected property to prevent the spread of this pest. An investigation is underway in collaboration with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the province of Ontario and industry.

PRN has been previously confirmed on Prince Edward Island, where it has been effectively controlled, and in areas of the United States, Africa, Asia, Europe, Mexico, Oceania and South America. It spreads mainly through the movement of infested planting material and soil.

Additional information on this detection of PRN will be available on the CFIA website as it becomes available.

Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Media Relations: 613-773-6600

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