Without the Q-status for Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV), growers now have to decide for themselves how to deal with the disease. That's what Marco van Dalen, inspection policy officer at Naktuinbouw, told regional broadcaster WOS. Since this year, infections no longer need to be reported, and the government is no longer stepping in. Marco urges growers to stay alert, especially now that many crops are being switched out.
Over the past few years, growers have paid much more attention to hygiene, but WOS raises the question of whether that is enough. "The real issue is whether voluntary prevention will be sufficient in a sector that is so tightly interconnected, particularly in regions like Westland, where infections can spread with alarming speed."
