A foreign plant virus that has wreaked havoc on South Australia’s tomato industry has been detected in Victoria for the first time.
Agriculture Victoria revealed on January 17 that quarantine controls had been put in place at a Goulburn Valley glasshouse after tomato brown rugose fruit virus was found.
The virus has spread from South Australia where it was detected five months ago at the state’s largest tomato grower, Perfection Fresh.
The detection of the virus in South Australia led to mandatory crop destruction and damaged interstate import bans.
While the virus poses no food safety risk to those who eat affected fruit and vegetables, it reduces tomato, capsicum, and chilli crop yields by up to 70 per cent.
The virus has been detected in the Middle East, China, Europe, Mexico, and the US. (ABC News: Brant Cumming)
Vic case ‘contained’, says chief plant officer
Victoria’s chief plant health officer Rosa Crnov said the virus was found after seedlings were moved from a South Australian business to a Victorian business, but said the outbreak was contained.
Dr Crnov said the seedlings were brought into Victoria as part of a “pilot protocol trial to support trade” despite rules limiting the movement of plants from South Australia.
“We know the pathway that the virus arrived on, so this is a contained situation just to this one particular business and we’ve got controls on the business,” she said.
All affected plants at the Goulburn Valley glasshouse were being destroyed and Agriculture Victoria said the pilot protocol allowing plants to be moved between Victoria and South Australia had been suspended.
Dr Crnov said authorities were confident the virus had not spread to anywhere else in Victoria.
“We’re working with our regulators, with the other states and territories, to negotiate movement of fruit from that property that hasn’t received seedlings from South Australia,” she said.
According to Horticulture Innovation, Victoria produces about 70 per cent of the nation’s processing tomatoes, which end up in products such as tinned tomatoes.
Tomato brown rugose fruit virus affects tomatoes, capsicums, and chillies. (ABC News: Briana Fiore)
The Australian Processing Tomato Research Council said it was confident of Victorian measures to manage the tomato virus.
“This new detection in Victoria is well within controllable parameters, so we’re not concerned,” industry development manager Matthew Stewart said.
“Our only risk would be something getting in the field and we don’t see that as a relevant risk at the moment.
“At this stage of our growing cycle, all of our nursery stock has been delivered. It’s in the ground [and] we start harvesting probably within a couple of weeks from today.”
