NZ Greenhouse Tomato Growers Concerned By Virus Found In Australia

New Zealand’s greenhouse tomato growers are concerned by reports that the Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV) has been detected in two properties in Australia.

‘If ToBRFV was to get to New Zealand, it could have dire consequences for our greenhouse tomato and capsicum industry. This is because the virus spreads extremely easily and has such a major impact on production, with reported crop losses of up to 80 percent,’ says TomatoesNZ Chair, Barry O’Neil.

‘The best line of defence is to keep the virus out of New Zealand. We are in discussions with government officials and the industry about how to achieve this.

‘The second-best line of defence is for growers to have strict hygiene measures in place to try to stop ToBRFV from entering a particular property, if it does arrive in New Zealand.’

TomatoesNZ is advising growers to take the following precautions:

· If you see anything unusual in your plants or crop, please contact MPI (0800 80 99 66) or TomatoesNZ

· Shut access to your greenhouses so that only you and your employees can enter

· You and your employees should have dedicated clothes and shoes to enter your greenhouse

· Keep all personal possessions out of the greenhouse

· No tomatoes (e.g. in packed lunches) to be brought onto the property

· Thorough hand washing, sanitising and foot baths are all essential

· Tools (knives, etc), machinery (pipe rail trolleys, etc) and crates are all items that can harbour viruses. Crates should not enter your greenhouse. Tools and machinery should be sanitised regularly, at least after each row

• If you have more than one property, movement of employees between sites should stop.

For further information, visit the TomatoesNZ website or Vegetables NZ website.

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