Canadian potato farmers on the hunt for saboteurs: 'These are really evil people'

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/30/canada-potatoes-food-terrorism-prince-edward-island



A mysterious outbreak of ‘food terrorism’ – pins and nails found inside Prince Edward Island potatoes – has led authorities to offer a $500,000 reward for tips

Canadian potato farmers on the hunt for saboteurs: 'These are really evil people'
John Barber in Toronto
Tuesday 30 June 2015 14.13 EDT

A picturesque corner of rural Canada best known as the idyllic home of Anne of Green Gables is now fighting for its economic life against a mysterious outbreak of alleged “food terrorism”.

The prosperous farmers of Prince Edward Island in the gulf of St Lawrence have offered a reward of CAN$500,000 (US$400,000) for tips leading to the conviction of the person or people who have been inserting pins and nails into potatoes grown on the island. Since the sabotage began last October, tampered Prince Edward Island potatoes have been found in grocery stores in four different Canadian provinces, triggering what has been described as the most serious crisis to hit sleepy PEI since the British conquest of Acadia in 1710.

“It’s food terrorism,” said island potato farmer Alex Docherty. “The people doing this are cowards, lower than a snake wearing snowshoes. These are really evil people.”

The saboteurs are also having a major impact on the local economy, where growing and processing the tubers is a billion-dollar industry, supplemented in the summer by Japanese tourists eager to visit the island’s many shrines devoted to their cherished “red-haired Anne”.