Features Production Research
P.E.I. potato farmers reject Cavendish deal

July 4, 2008, Charlottetown,
P.E.I. – Contract potato farmers on Prince Edward Island have rejected
an offer from Cavendish Farms for a third time.

July 4, 2008, Charlottetown, P.E.I. – Contract potato farmers on Prince Edward Island have rejected an offer from Cavendish Farms for a third time.

Close to 120 of the nearly 150 farmers who contract with the french fry processor voted down the most recent offer at a meeting in Charlottetown July 2, 2008.

Campbellton potato farmer Leslie MacKay, who has been growing for the company for 25 years, says he is stunned by the outcome.

MacKay says the offer included a base increase of 60 cents over last year’s price per hundredweight, plus a 15-cent increase for the bonus or incentive that goes to quality factors for each sale – making the price about $9.25 per hundredweight.

He says only two growers at the meeting spoke out against accepting the offer, but clearly many came with the intention of voting it down, “no matter what the offer.”

The system in place on P.E.I. keeps the option for negotiation open until August 15, at which point either a contract is in place or Cavendish Farms can purchase potatoes from individual farmers for the open market price.