The requirement to inspect all potatoes arriving in the Canary Islands from the United Kingdom, after larvae from red Colorado beetles were detected a couple of months ago, is causing problems at the ports of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. In the UK, farmers are required to comply with various measures, including cleaning the potatoes and limiting the percentage of soil that can accompany the potatoes. British potatoes began arriving again three weeks ago, at an average rate of 20-30 containers per week.
However, a lack of personnel at the PIFs is causing some of the containers sent for inspection to return to the terminals when their staff's working day ends, without having undergone inspection. Importers are hopeful that the Ministry of Health will take steps to expedite controls at the PIFs of the two main ports in the islands and unblock the entry of potatoes into the archipelago.
Source: canarianweekly.com