(August 18, 2006)

On August 16, 2006, the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that it is prohibiting the entry of potatoes and other products from the province of Quebec due to the detection of the golden nematode (GN), a serious pest of potatoes. While GN does not pose a threat to human health, it is considered to be potentially more dangerous to potato crops than other potato pests and can adversely affect the yields of potatoes and other host crops.

To prevent the spread of the golden nematode within the United States, agriculture officials are prohibiting the importation of potatoes for seed, consumption, and processing from the Province of Quebec. Potato products that are already processed in Quebec prior to export will not be affected by these restrictions.

Furthermore, mechanical cultivating equipment, harvesting equipment, and other conveyances originating in Quebec that present a risk of spreading the nematode must also be free of soil to allow importation.