31-08-2023, 08:05 PM
Radio Sintonia:
Given the shortage, the Canary Islands propose to import potatoes from Northern Ireland or Wales.
The Canary Islands propose that potatoes be imported from Northern Ireland or Wales, territories free of the potato beetle. In this sense, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty, Narvay Quinter, explained, in relation to the import of potatoes from England, that "European countries have closed borders to prevent the entry of the pest that affects this tuber". "A beetle puts in check the consumption of a food as essential for the Canary Islands as this, which should make us reflect on the need to bet on local production," he said.
The counselor explained that negotiations are being held with the Government Delegation and the Ministry, competent in this matter, to enable the importation of potatoes from other territories of the United Kingdom in which, according to the EPPO, the potato beetle is not present, such as Northern Ireland or Wales, an important action for the entry into the Canary Islands of the potato for consumption but especially for the seed, that arrives in the Canary Islands at this time and that comes mostly from these areas". "We do not want to repeal Law 87, which protects the Canary Islands from the entry of pests into crops, because this would be a health and also economic problem," he added.
The president of the SAT Izaña, Roberto Rodríguez, acknowledged in statements to the media that the sector "is having a hard time both because of the competition of imports and the detection of new pests." "We are not going to allow the Law of 87 to be repealed because otherwise we will have to close all the farms in the Canary Islands," he said. He also assured that "pests enter through imported containers, so exhaustive phytosanitary controls are required" by the State.
Given the shortage, the Canary Islands propose to import potatoes from Northern Ireland or Wales.
The Canary Islands propose that potatoes be imported from Northern Ireland or Wales, territories free of the potato beetle. In this sense, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty, Narvay Quinter, explained, in relation to the import of potatoes from England, that "European countries have closed borders to prevent the entry of the pest that affects this tuber". "A beetle puts in check the consumption of a food as essential for the Canary Islands as this, which should make us reflect on the need to bet on local production," he said.
The counselor explained that negotiations are being held with the Government Delegation and the Ministry, competent in this matter, to enable the importation of potatoes from other territories of the United Kingdom in which, according to the EPPO, the potato beetle is not present, such as Northern Ireland or Wales, an important action for the entry into the Canary Islands of the potato for consumption but especially for the seed, that arrives in the Canary Islands at this time and that comes mostly from these areas". "We do not want to repeal Law 87, which protects the Canary Islands from the entry of pests into crops, because this would be a health and also economic problem," he added.
The president of the SAT Izaña, Roberto Rodríguez, acknowledged in statements to the media that the sector "is having a hard time both because of the competition of imports and the detection of new pests." "We are not going to allow the Law of 87 to be repealed because otherwise we will have to close all the farms in the Canary Islands," he said. He also assured that "pests enter through imported containers, so exhaustive phytosanitary controls are required" by the State.