Certification

Seed Potato Certification in New Brunswick

Seed potato certification is carried out in New Brunswick, as in all provinces of Canada, by inspectors of the Plant Health Directorate of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Certification standards and requirements are detailed in Regulations under the Seed Act. Certification begins with tested plantlets, which are used to produce greenhouse tubers. When planted outside, greenhouse tubers produce the first field generation which is called Pre-Elite. Under a limited generation program, seed may be certified for a maximum of seven field generations. Seed advances one class each year, provided that it meets the inspection standards for that class.

Class	Field Inspections	Virus Tolerance	Disease Tolerance	Foreign Tolerance
Pre-Elite [PE]	2	0.00	0.00	0.00
Elite 1 [E1]	2	0.00	0.10	0.00
Elite 2 [E2]	2	0.10	0.20	0.00
Elite 3 [E3]	2	0.20	0.30	0.05
Elite 4 [E4]	2	0.30	0.50	0.10
Foundation [F]	2	0.50	1.00	0.20
Certified [C]	2	2.00	2.00	0.50

The New Brunswick Potato Disease Eradication Act provides provincial legislative authority to control or eradicate named potato diseases. Under this act, all potato production, including home gardens, must be grown from Foundation or higher-class seed potatoes.