Update of the situation of tomato brown rugose fruit virus in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, tomato brown rugose fruit virus (Tobamovirus, ToBRFV – EPPO Alert List) was first detected in July 2019 in a tomato greenhouse in Kent (South East England) (EPPO RS 2019/163) and later in Worcestershire (West Midlands, England) (EPPO RS 2020/078). The NPPO of the United Kingdom recently informed the EPPO Secretariat of the eradication of the outbreak in Kent. Eradication measures included the removal of all plants from the affected glasshouse and its disinfection, followed by a 14-week period of the glasshouse being kept clear of plants.
Three new outbreaks have been reported recently as part of the official surveillance programme:
- in West Midlands (England), the presence of ToBRFV was confirmed in two greenhouses producing tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit on 2020-03-31 and 2020-05-15 respectively.
- in the East of England, the presence of ToBRFV was confirmed in one greenhouse producing tomato fruit on 2020-03-31.
For these three cases, containment measures are being applied to prevent further spread of the virus during fruit production. Once fruit had been harvested, eradication measures will be applied (destruction of plants, disinfection of the glasshouse).
The pest status of Tomato brown rugose fruit virus in the United Kingdom is officially declared as: Transient, actionable, under eradication.
Sources
NPPO of the United Kingdom (2020-06).