Bibeau tours the province to discuss next steps with the potato industry.Ottawa—A date hasn't been set yet but potato shipments from Prince Edward Island to the continental U.S. are close to resuming, says Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau.Shipments to Puerto Rico resumed Feb. 9 and the government hoped it would be a couple of weeks after that they would be bound to the rest of the U.S. after being halted last fall when two samples of potato wart virus were found. A third has since been discovered.The protracted delay is blamed both on the plodding procedures of the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and hefty lobbing against reopening the market by U.S. potato grower groups.Bibeau visited PEI for two days in late March meeting farmers and others in the potato industry to discuss the upcoming growing season and the reopening of the table stock potatoes market to the US.She said a reopened market would reassure farmers about the prospects for this growing season. She and PEI Agriculture Minister Bloyce Thompson discussed how to support the industry moving forward as well as what should be in the next Agricultural Policy Framework in terms of tackling climate change and creating a sustainable agriculture sector.She also talked with the PEI Potato Board about how to prepare growers for this and the next few years.She said impending reopening of the U.S. market “comes at a critical time for the industry. Potato exports are essential for the livelihoods of so many Islanders, and I am confident that this decision by the U.S. will give farmers the predictability and assurances they need for the next potato growing season.”The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will work in collaboration with industry to implement the new export requirements for the U.S. in short order.John Barlow, the Conservative ag critic, said the U.S. has only offered a a vague promise of a solution while questions remain around seed and processing potatoes. “Again, this is not an end to this tumultuous time for P.E.I. farmers, rather another instance in a pattern of vague messaging and broken promises. On countless occasions since this crisis began, Minister Bibeau has said the solution would be arriving soon, and time and time again left P.E.I. farmers disappointed.“How can they be sure this time will be different while so many questions “Without a formal agreement between Canada and the U.S. on the future of P.E.I's potato industry there is no guarantee to avoid a similar crisis in the future,” he said.“Throughout this ordeal, the government has proven themselves ambivalent to the urgency of this situation, and there is still no solution and potentially additional barriers for this critical Canadian industry, making it impossible to plan properly for a prosperous future.The Fruit & Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC) said the U.S. Agriculture Department will allow only PEI table potatoes. “APHIS plans to publish a Federal Order outlining the additional mitigation measures required for PEI table stock potatoes imported into the US.” FVGC said that after publication of the U.S. Federal order, the CFIA is expected to immediately resume the authorization of PEI table stock exports to the U.S..