Common sense in politics is also key. My Canadian province grows different crops but potatoes are the big crop here 25% of all potatoes bought in Canada. This summer was perfect and in the fall it was a bumper crop it was amazing. But then two fields out of hundred tested positive for a plant virus called potato wart. It's an ugly fungus on the potato but it's harmless to humans.
There are now millions of pounds of perfectly fine potatoes that can't be sold. The biggest market the US will not buy them. It was just a few potatoes out of millions of pounds. The remaining are for food only and can't grow into a plant.
Even Puerto Rico which buys a lot of potatoes grown here (30%?). They don't grow potatoes in Puerto Rico so a fungus is not a threat. But it is not permitted to buy any potatoes from Canada (archaic shipping laws don't help) but specifically no potatoes from here PEI.
They can't even give them away since it takes too long to ship them and who will pay the labour costs, or the fuel to ship them? They need to be disposed of before they rot.
So even if you as a farmer grow a crop and lots of it there are laws that can ruin your day. And that's after you spent 18 hour days all summer growing a good crop.
Here is what my local government has about disposal:
Can potato waste be buried in abandoned or operating excavation pits? No. Potato waste is organic and being that all excavation pits have exposed bedrock in them, which creates an easy access to the groundwater table, the organic waste can contaminate it.
There are now millions of pounds of perfectly fine potatoes that can't be sold. The biggest market the US will not buy them. It was just a few potatoes out of millions of pounds. The remaining are for food only and can't grow into a plant.
Even Puerto Rico which buys a lot of potatoes grown here (30%?). They don't grow potatoes in Puerto Rico so a fungus is not a threat. But it is not permitted to buy any potatoes from Canada (archaic shipping laws don't help) but specifically no potatoes from here PEI.
They can't even give them away since it takes too long to ship them and who will pay the labour costs, or the fuel to ship them? They need to be disposed of before they rot.
So even if you as a farmer grow a crop and lots of it there are laws that can ruin your day. And that's after you spent 18 hour days all summer growing a good crop.