Tomato brown rugose fruit virus. Photo: Tomatoes NZ
Biosecurity New Zealand has temporarily suspended all Australian tomato imports, to be reviewed in seven days, after the detection of tomato brown rugose fruit virus.
The Ministry for Primary Industries had previously paused some Australian exports on Wednesday but was still allowing tomatoes in from Queensland, where the virus is not present, and was testing seeds which can also contain the virus.
Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV) which effects affects tomatoes, capsicums, and chillies, has been found in two properties in South Australia.
The virus causes spotting, discolouration and deformities, impacting the fruits market value - it has no impact on human health.
Biosecurity New Zealand said it was being especially cautious.
New Zealand's imported tomatoes come from Queensland where there has been no sign of the virus.
Deputy director-general of Biosecurity New Zealand Stuart Anderson told Checkpoint there was still quite a lot of work for the Australia to do to trace the virus around the two properties in South Australia.
Anderson said no tomatoes from across the Tasman will be imported until that work is completed.
"That will be in place from today and we'll review it in seven days time to hopefully have a more complete picture out of Australia as to the situation with those two properties."
He added there was nothing to suggest the virus had reached New Zealand.
"We have pretty routine, robust checks around that."
He had confidence that there was no connection between South Australia and Queensland in terms of the plants out of those two facilities, Anderson said.
And while the virus can also affect capsicums and chillies, he said there was no evidence of any connection to those at the moment, especially from Queensland where our tomatoes, capsicums and chillies are imported from.
"But obviously these are evolving situations and we're monitoring them really closely - with Australia, with industry - and should anything change we're prepared to act."
Tomatoes NZ chairperson Barry O'Neil told RNZ on Wednesday that greenhouse tomato growers were really concerned about the discovery.
"If ToBRFV was to get to New Zealand, it could have dire consequences for our greenhouse tomato and capsicum industry because the virus spreads extremely easily and has such a major impact on production, with reported crop losses of up to 80 percent.
"The best line of defence is to keep the virus out of New Zealand. We are in discussions with government officials and the industry about how to achieve this."
O'Neil said the second-best defense was for growers to follow strict hygiene measures to try and stop ToBRFV from entering a particular property, if it did arrive in the country.
