New restrictions on tomato & pepper seed

[delltraveller]

As the holder of an APHIS small seed lot import permit, I've received the following message:

Effective November 22, 2019, after issuance of this notice, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will restrict the importation of★tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and pepper (Capsicum spp.)★hosts of★Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV). APHIS has determined it is necessary to restrict the importation of these plant species to prevent the introduction of ToBRFV into the United States.

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ToBRFV is a recently described member of the Tobamovirus genus. This virus genus also contains other economically important pathogens that infect vegetable crops, including Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV), and Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV). The disease caused by ToBRFV was first reported in 2014 in tomatoes in Israel. Since then, ToBRFV has been reported in China, Mexico, Germany (eradicated), Italy, Jordan, Turkey, Greece, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. Given the global nature of seed production and the international movement of seeds, the distribution may be greater than reported.

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Tomato and pepper are the two main hosts. Symptoms caused by ToBRFV include bubbling and mosaic on leaves of susceptible pepper, and fern leaf and mosaic on tomato leaves. On fruit, symptoms include smaller fruit size with a rough surface, fruit drop, delay in ripening, and fruit discoloration including blotching, pale color and/or brown necrotic spots. Infected tomato fruits can be unmarketable or reduced in quality. Necrosis can occur on susceptible pepper fruit.★Tobamoviruses are mechanically transmitted and seed borne viruses. ToBRFV is mechanically transmissible through infected sap of both tomato and pepper. Transmission occurs through touching and manipulating infected plants. Transmission is common during transplant productions or in crop production systems in which plants are regularly handled, such as greenhouse operations.

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To safeguard against the introduction of ToBRFV into the United States, APHIS is restricting the importation of tomato and pepper by requiring imported plants and plant products to be free of evidence of ToBRFV, as specified in the attached Federal Order.★ Currently, propagative hosts are considered high risk pathways for the introduction of ToBRFV and under the conditions of the Federal Order, imports of propagative material must be free from ToBRFV based on origin from an area where the pest is absent or based on negative results of diagnostic testing.★

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To prevent the introduction of ToBRFV into the United States via propagative material, lots of★S. lycopersicum★and★Capsicum★spp. propagative material (including plants for planting, seeds, grafts, obscured seed, and cuttings) from all countries must be accompanied by a Phytosanitary Certificate or a re-export Phytosanitary Certificate with an additional declaration (AD) certifying the lots fulfill the following requirements prior to importation into the United States and its territories:

The★Solanum lycopersicum★and/or★Capsicum★spp. plants for planting or seeds originated from a country certified free from Tomato brown rugose fruit virus, as established by the national plant protection organization of that country;

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A representative sample of the★Solanum lycopersicum★and/or★Capsicum★spp. plants for planting or seed lot has been officially tested and found free of Tomato brown rugose virus.

Small lots of★S. lycopersicum★and★Capsicum★spp. seed originating from a single mother plant or a single breeder line intended for breeding purposes and not for immediate commercial sale may be imported from all countries with a Phytosanitary Certificate or a re-export Phytosanitary Certificate with an alternative AD stating that the seed lots meet the following requirements prior to importation:

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​All mother plants of★Solanum lycopersicum★and/or★Capsicum★spp. from which the seed lot originated from have been officially tested no more than 10 days prior to fruit harvest and found free of the Tomato brown rugose fruit virus.

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These requirements for imported fruit will remain in place unt​il APHIS completes its risk analysis of the fruit pathway for ToBRFV introduction into the United States and determines appropriate regulatory action.★

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For additional information regarding this Federal Import Order, please contact Dr. Angela McMellen-Brannigan at 301-851-2314 or★Angela.McMellen-Brannigan@usda.gov.

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