Deadly Tomato Virus Confirmed at French Farm

Summary

France’s agri­cul­ture min­is­ter con­firmed that toma­toes on a farm in Brittany were infected with the tomato brown rugose fruit virus, lead­ing to the quar­an­tine and destruc­tion of the affected green­houses. The virus, which poses a threat to pep­pers and chili plants, has been spread­ing glob­ally since it was first detected in Israel in 2014, with recent cases in the Netherlands and Spain.

France’s agri­cul­ture min­is­ter Didier Guillaume has con­firmed that toma­toes on a farm in Brittany were found to be infected with the tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV).

The affected farm has been placed under quar­an­tine and the green­houses will be destroyed.

See Also:Agriculture News

There is no known treat­ment for the dev­as­tat­ing virus which can wipe out entire crops and poses a threat to pep­pers and chili plants.

The virus was first detected in Israel in 2014 and has since hit crops in Spain, Italy, the U.S. and Mexico,

Britain con­firmed its first cases last July and in Germany, an out­break was erad­i­cated when infected plants were uprooted and destroyed before the soil was dis­in­fected.

Earlier this month Horticulture Week reported that ToBRFV had been detected in imported seeds in the Netherlands and dis­cov­ered in Spanish green­houses.

The virus, which retains its power to infect over a long period of time, is spread through direct con­tact and by infected seeds, plants and fruits.