PEI potato growers want educational campaign on tariffs to U.S. consumers

Prince Edward Island potato growers and marketers are pushing for an information campaign to U.S. consumers warning them that tariffs will push up their grocery bills. The worry is that U.S. president Trump will make good on his promise to start 25 per cent tariffs as early as February 1. 

The PEI Potato Board says that more than half of the Island’s potatoes are exported to the U.S. with a farmgate value of $250 million. In the short term, potato prices would be higher because replacement potatoes can’t be sourced overnight. 

The ties between PEI’s growers and New England markets go back decades if not hundreds of years. Due to the proximity of PEI,  it’s cheaper for Americans to freight potatoes to the eastern U.S. coast than for them to source potatoes from Idaho. 

Other Maritime leaders are keen to lead messaging about the upside of trade with Canada and the downside that tariffs would cause on food costs.  

In a recent PEI trip to the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, the American counterparts received information about trade flows and statistics, in addition to other facts about the northern border. For instance, Canada does not contribute significantly to illegal immigration to the U.S.