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Canada and the United States clarify the definition of "field" in the Potato Cyst Nematode (PCN) Guidelines

May 19, 2015 – Ottawa, ON: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) have completed the revision of the Guidelines on Surveillance and Phytosanitary Actions for the Potato Cyst Nematodes Globodera rostochiensis and Globodera pallida (hereafter referred to as Guidelines). The revised document was signed on May 7th 2014.

Following the signature of the Guidelines and at the request of stakeholders, the CFIA and USDA-APHIS agreed on a clarification with regards to the interpretation of the definition of a "field" under those Guidelines:

For the purposes of Sections 4, 7 and 9, a field refers to a distinct plot of land distinguished from neighboring plots of land by physical boundaries such as roads, fences, waterways, etc. If PCN presence is confirmed within a field, the entire field as defined by its physical boundaries will come under regulatory control.

For the purposes of Section 8, a field is defined by the boundaries of the specific area of land that was surveyed for PCN.  Boundaries must be permanently recorded and traceable using GPS coordinates or physical markers accepted by the NPPO of the exporting country.  If the area of land sampled for PCN differs from one potato crop to the subsequent potato crop, only the area sampled in common to these two potato crops will be eligible for the PCN survey exemption provision specified in Section 8, provided all PCN survey results are negative.

For more information contact your local CFIA office.

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