The Canary Islands are taking a firm stance against a proposed solution from Madrid aimed at alleviating the current potato shortage on the islands, as the Canarian Weekly reports.
The shortage stems from a combination of factors, including a poor local harvest during the early growing season, and a phytosanitary blockade preventing the import of British potatoes due to an initial outbreak of the Colorado potato beetle in Kent.
In response, Madrid had contemplated activating imports from other regions of the UK through regulatory changes enforced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food. However, this move is currently prohibited due to the phytosanitary blockade that applies nationwide.
The Ministry’s regulations, which are designed to protect local agricultural production by limiting imports of fresh agricultural items for phytosanitary reasons, have effectively become an indirect barrier to imports.
The delay in seed potato shipments, primarily sourced from the UK, as the Canary Islands do not produce them on an industrial scale, could jeopardize the early harvests of 2024.
Source: Canarian Weekly. Read the full story here
Photo: Credit Canarian Weekly
