b'FROM ERADICATIONTO MITIGATIONWHAT IS THE BEST WAY FORWARD IN THE EU ON THE TOMATO BROWNRUGOSE FRUIT VIRUS (ToBRFV)?BY: MARCEL BRUINSWHY IT MATTERS C laudius Marondedze is technical manager plant health and seed trade at Euroseeds; Over the past fewand Marleen Maassen is chair of the ad hoc years, the TomatoEuroseeds WG ToBRFV and regulatory manager Brown Rugose Fruitseed movement EMEA at Bayer Crop Science. They Virus (ToBRFV)provided the following combined responses:has been makingSEED WORLD EUROPE (SWE): WHAT IS THE headlines, forcingSITUATION WITH THE CURRENT REGULATION regulators inAROUND ToBRFV? various countries to act. As is moreToBRFV continues to be a topic of concern for often the case, thethe agricultural sector. Since the first outbreak of different nationalToBRFV in tomato Southern Israel in 2014 and on and regionaltomato plants grown in greenhouses in Jordan in regulations are not2015 1 , the virus has spread to many other countries aligned, causingincluding some in Europe and Asia, as well as to the trade disruptions.U.S. The impact of the virus in terms of yield loss in Seed World Europetomato production has prompted various countries to dove into theregulate it. The European and Mediterranean Plant matter, reachingProtection Organization (EPPO) performed a Pest out to two seedRisk Analysis (PRA) on ToBRFV and recommended sector experts forit for regulation as a quarantine pest in 2019. Since their take on thisthen, it has been regulated under an Emergency disease and theMeasure for the European Union (EU, Emergency correspondingMeasures, Commission Implementing Regulation regulations.(EU) 2019/1615 of 26/09/2019) and other EPPO member countries such as Morocco and Trkiye in 2019. The regulations target two crops, SolanumMarleen Maassenlycopersicum (tomato) and Capsicum spp (pepper). Other countries that import and export tomatoThe various measures request different inspec-and pepper seeds to and from the EU followed suit.tions or tests to be carried out both prior to export and Currently, ToBRFV is regulated as a quarantine pestoften upon arrival as well. The testing method is often under emergency measures in Algeria, Argentina,by means of real time Polymerase Chain Reaction Australia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Chile, China, Costa(RT-PCR), with some National Plant Protection Rica, EU, Guatemala, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya,Organizations (NPPOs) strictly specifying sample Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, Newsize to be tested. Overall analysis highlights up to 18 Zealand, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Serbia,different combinations of phytosanitary requirements the Seychelles, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan,that may need to be declared for seed to reach its Thailand, Trkiye, United Kingdom, United States oftarget market.America and Uzbekistan. Except for the Seychelles,As ToBRFV has mostly been regulated via all other countries that named it a regulated pestemergency measures to date, the regulations have targeted seeds for sowing for tomato and capsicumbeen implemented with limited input from trading seeds. The Seycelles restrictions are limited to thepartners and the seed sector. This led to differences importation of fresh tomatoes containing ToBRFV.in the interpretation of measures at implementation, 42ISEED WORLD EUROPEIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM'