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RNZ News
5 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Ministry for Primary Industries to review controls for tomato virus
Tomato brown rugose fruit virus. Photo: Tomatoes NZ Ministry for Primary Industries says it will review its current controls after Australia changed its strategy to deal with a highly contagious virus affecting tomatoes, capsicums and chillies. Across the Tasman , biosecurity experts and industry representatives have declared tomato brown rugose virus not technically feasible to eradicate and moved to a management strategy. 'Tomato virus' was first detected in South Australia last August and has also been found on a farm in Victoria. It is not harmful to humans but infected fruit can ripen irregularly or be deformed. It can also reduce crop yields by 70 percent. Biosecurity New Zealand deputy director-general Stuart Anderson said MPI had controls in place that were "working well for New Zealand and prevented any issues for our tomato growers after the discovery of tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) at sites in South Australia last August". He said a ban on all Australian tomato imports remained in place, even though only Australian tomatoes from Queensland, an area free from the virus, were imported here. "We made the decision to suspend imports from all Australian states out of an abundance of caution. As part of the actions we took, tomato and capsicum seeds from Australia require testing for the virus prior to arrival in New Zealand, a requirement already in place for other countries where the virus is present. That requirement remains. "Although Australia has announced they will no longer be pursuing eradication, all of the controls that have been in place to limit spread of the virus remain." There was nothing to suggest the virus was here but MPI's chief biosecurity officer would conduct a review of what Australia has in place to manage the risk, and New Zealand's import rules "to ensure that our settings remain reasonable", he said. "New Zealand imports Australian capsicums from Queensland. ToBRFV has not been reported in any parts of Australia in capsicums and has not been detected in Queensland. We are closely monitoring the situation in Australia and if there is any significant change in distribution, or which crops it is affecting, we will review the current import rules. "We continue to work closely with New Zealand's tomato sector. We have asked New Zealand industry representatives to assist by sharing any information they have that may inform our decision-making. We also meet regularly with Australian officials to maintain a continued understanding of the situation." MPI said growers should continue to check their biosecurity practices. "As always... be vigilant and contact us on our pests and diseases hotline (0800 80 99 66) if [you] notice problems with [your] tomatoes". Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
08-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Greenhouse growers put hope in geothermal heat
Greenhouse growers are frustrated with gas prices and availability, and hope geothermal heat can be a replacement. Industry body groups Vegetables NZ and Tomatoes NZ are collaborating with GNS Science to investigate the possibility of finding a new heat source for greenhouses. Energy costs can be up to 40 per cent of a grower's costs and Vegetables NZ chief executive Antony Heywood says they cannot get contracts that go further than the end of the year. Antony says one grower has told him their gas bill has gone up 200 per cent in the past five years. More than 90 percent of tomatoes, capsicum and cucumbers are grown as covered crops in this country and we have about 310 hectares of greenhouses, mostly in the North Island. GNS says it is working on a mapping and information tool to signal to growers where easily accessible geothermal heat will be found. Antony says growers need a secure and economic energy supply - and gas is not providing that. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
