010340 Canada Presses US To Lift Ag Bans

Washington - Canada's agriculture minister pressed U.S. officials to lift a ban on potatoes from Canada's Prince Edward Island that was imposed after part of one field was infected with a fungus.

“Hopefully, we will settle this soon,” Lyle Vanclief said after a meeting with Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman.

Agriculture Department scientists consulted this week with experts in Europe on the potato issue and are scheduled to meet next week with Canadian officials.

Vanclief has warned that the Canadian potato crop will rot within weeks if the U.S. ban does not end.

“We'll continue to consult with the Canadian government and try to resolve the issue as soon as we can,” Veneman spokesman Kevin Herglotz said.

The United States says the ban is aimed at preventing the spread of the fungus, but Canadian officials have accused the United States of exploiting a minor outbreak of the fungus to benefit American potato growers. They said there is no evidence the fungus has spread.

Vanclief also said there was no justification for a moratorium on U.S. livestock imports proposed this week by Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D- SD). Daschle said the Bush administration needs to study its controls for foot- and-mouth and mad-cow diseases. Canada is a major exporter of cattle to the United States.

Neither disease has been reported in the United States or Canada.

“If someone takes an action that is not based on science, then there are actions we can take and we will not hesitate to do it,” Vanclief said.

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