The Prospect variety of potato requires fewer nitrates to, says Cavendish Farms, which has purchased the breeding rights to the tuber. (CBC)

Cavendish Farms has purchased the breeding rights to a type of potato it says is suitable for French fries and good for the environment.

It's the first time the P.E.I. company has bought the rights to an entire variety of potato, called Prospect. That means Cavendish decides who can grow the potato, which was developed on the Island.

"This variety was very good for processing, very good for growing and very good for the environment," Blaine MacPherson, vice-president of Cavendish Farms, said Friday.

He was speaking at an event called Research Day in New Annan, where more than 70 varieties of potatoes were on display.

Cavendish hopes farmers start to switch to the Prospect variety.

The company said it is better for the environment because farmers use 35 per cent fewer nitrates per acre to grow it than the Russett Burbank, the current king of potatoes.

Nitrates come from fertilizers and can hurt water systems.

In 2008, the province's commission on nitrates in groundwater recommended growing less nitrate-dependant potatoes. One of the sticking points for processors has been getting fast food restaurants to accept them.

The restaurants want long, crisp fries with white flesh, which has been difficult to achieve without using a lot of nitrate-rich fertilizer.

Wendy's comes on board

MacPherson said the Prospect is overcoming that hurdle. The fast food chain Wendy's recently became the first major customer to buy the Prospect potatoes.

"They're quite happy with that variety," MacPherson said. "They don't see any negative impact. In fact, they see positive impacts.

He said it would be a good deal for potato farmers, too.

"They would get more pay per acre, and they would have to grow probably less acres on their farm, and they'd have to buy less land," he said.

Stuart Affleck, a retired P.E.I. potato farmer, was on the nitrate commission. He supports a more environmentally friendly tuber but prefers that potato varieties stay in the public domain.

"Any time we can find varieties that require less nitrates, that's a positive thing," Affleck said.

But by controlling the breed, Cavendish limits who can grow it, he said.

"The person who owns it more or less plays the music on the piano, so I think it lessens the farmer's ability to negotiate," Affleck said.

There are 2,000 acres of Prospect potatoes being grown on P.E.I. Cavendish hopes to expand that to 10,000 in the next few years.