Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV)
21 August 2024
Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV) has been detected in two properties in Australia.
ToBRFV is currently not in New Zealand and the best defence is to keep it out of our country.
The second best defence is having strict hygiene measures in place to try to stop this virus from entering a particular property, if it does arrive in New Zealand.
TomatoesNZ advises the following:
- 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.
Resources
A recording of the presentation on hygiene given by Dutch specialist Jasper Verhoeven given to TomatoesNZ on 8 August 2024.
The slides used by Jasper in his presentation.