Both in the UK as in Greece new ToBRFV have been found. The Tomato brown rugose fruit virus is not dangerous for humans, but can cause serious damage to tomato crops. The virus has a quarantaine status in the EU, meaning that all findings should be reported.
Tomato brown rugose fruit virus was first detected in July 2019 in a tomato greenhouse in Kent. The NPPO of the United Kingdom recently informed the EPPO Secretariat that this virus has been found in two new sites as part of the official surveillance programme. In March 2020, the presence of tomato brown rugose fruit virus has been confirmed at two tomato production sites in Worcestershire (West Midlands) in glasshouses of 1.62 ha and 8 ha respectively.
Eradication measures are being applied (removing and incinerating all plants from the affected glasshouses, enhancing biosecurity procedures on the infected sites).
The pest status of Tomato brown rugose fruit virus in the United Kingdom is officially declared as: Transient, statutory action is being taken, actionable, under eradication.
Greece
The Tomato brown rugose fruit virus was first detected in Greece in August 2019 in one greenhouse growing tomatoes on the island of Crete. Official surveys in the region of Chania detected seven additional greenhouses infected by ToBRFV in the municipality of Paleochora (Anidri and Koudoura) where the first outbreak had been detected.
These greenhouses either belonged to the same grower or were in the vicinity of another infested greenhouse. It is considered that secondary infestations may be due to mechanical transmission (via the workers). In November 2019, a new outbreak was detected in Crete, in the municipality of Kissamo (also in the region of Chania but on the Northern coast of the Island) in a tomato greenhouse (1500 m2). All plants were destroyed, and the grower started growing cucumber (a non-host plant) instead of tomato.
ToBRFV was also detected on the mainland, in the Peloponnese in tomato greenhouses. It was detected in a greenhouse (1000 m2) in the municipality of Kiparissia in November 2019, and in a greenhouse (8000 m2) in the municipality of Gargaliani. Trace back of the source of the infestations is still in progress. Eradication measures are being applied in all cases. The pest status of Tomato brown rugose fruit virus in Greece is officially described as: Present, under eradication, only in some parts of the Member State concerned
Source: EPPO