A particularly dangerous virus for certain plant species has just been detected in a tomato farm located in the Finistère region of France.
According to AFP, the French Ministry of Agriculture confirmed on Monday that the tomato farm had indeed been contaminated by the ToBRFV virus (Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus). A virus that can cause significant damage to plants such as tomatoes.
Harmless to humans, ToBRFV is particularly harmful to these species. “It is transmitted through seeds, plants, infected fruits, and it survives for a long time in open air,” authorities stated. “The affected farm has been placed under containment pending the destruction of the plants and the disinfection of the site as soon as possible.”
Economic disaster
Although it poses no risk to human health, it is nonetheless an economic disaster for growers. “The spread of this virus on French territory would have major economic consequences for the sector,” the authorities warned.
Discovered in 2014 in Israel, ToBRFV has since been detected in Mexico, the United States, and Germany in 2018, as well as in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Greece the following year.
