The province is in negotiations to buy around half of the potato wart index fields on Prince Edward Island as part of a buyback program the government introduced earlier this year, as Jenna Banfield reports for CBC News.

There are 37 sites across P.E.I. designated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as potato wart index fields, where the fungus that causes the disease has been identified in the soil at least once. The indexed fields include both small farms and those owned by large corporations.

The province has set aside $10.5 million to start the buybacks. Agriculture Minister Bloyce Thompson said that’s enough to purchase roughly half of the fields.

“We still have a bit to go, but we have a lot of interest and it would be great once we get this behind us,” Thompson said.

The province reportedly plans to plant trees to establish forests on the fields that are bought back.

Source: CBC News. Full story here
Image: Credit Brian McInnis/CBC