Tomato virus worries growers fearing psychosis

• The ToBRFV virus was identified in a farm in Finistère, which was confined.
• This tomato virus is feared by producers because it is virulent. Its arrival in a greenhouse requires the destruction of all the plants and complete disinfection.
• The profession tries to reassure consumers, recalling that the virus is harmless to humans. A drop in consumption is to be feared.

Reassure consumers. Since the confirmation of the arrival of the "tomato virus" in a farm in Finistère on Monday, the profession has been trying to reassure its customers. "Producers wish to reassure and recall that ToBRFV is a plant virus, with no impact on humans, and that it is therefore important not to give in to unnecessary suspicion, or to exclude tomatoes from its consumption of daily ”. The words were carefully chosen and sent to all the press by the association of tomato and cucumber producers in France to avoid a consumption crisis.

If the tomato eaters don't risk anything, their producers may be worried. Very virulent, the ToBRFV virus (for tomato brown rugose fruit virus) stops the ripening of the fruit and removes any taste value from it. Its appearance requires above all the immediate destruction of all the plants. Are producers worried? Impossible to ask the question to the large Breton cooperatives, which supply 50% of the French market. "The union asked the cooperatives not to speak out," we replied to 20 Minutes . The Association of National Producers' Organizations (AOPn) federates 80% of French production.

"There are bound to be fears"

To find out more, we interviewed Eric Bocel, a renowned market gardener based in Pacé (Ille-et-Vilaine) who supplies a number of restaurants in Rennes and the surrounding area. “There are bound to be fears. It would be a huge tile to have to tear everything out, ”concedes the market gardener. Since the first alerts, he has been more vigilant. "I limit entrances to greenhouses, including for myself and for employees". Because the tomato virus can be transmitted on a glove, a tool, an insect or a bird. But it could also come directly from the plant, especially those produced abroad.

The AOPn #TomatesDeFrance wishes to reassure and remind that #ToBRFV is a # plant virus, with no impact on humans. It is important not to give in to any unnecessary suspicion, or to exclude #tomato from its daily consumption. To date only 1 case has been confirmed in France. pic.twitter.com/vhtyPI11Zd

In Finistère, the farm concerned worked with plants from the United Kingdom but whose seeds had been produced in the Netherlands. Heated glass greenhouses where plants grow above ground like the vast majority of the French market. “These are hypersecured places of culture. Today, producing tomatoes is high technology, ”explains Sébastien Subéry. This wholesaler based in the regional market of Rennes also wants to reassure consumers. "The virus does not attack humans and all containment measures have been taken. We must not fall into a psychosis ”. The wholesaler puts forward his arguments, such as traceability, which allow the authorities to know the story of a tomato, from its seed to the end customer.

"Nobody told me about it"

On the stalls, however, the winter tomato does not seem to frighten its usual consumers. "I'm going to be frank, nobody told me about it and consumption remains the same as usual," says Christophe Mauger, foreman at the central halls of Rennes. Out of season, it remains moderate. But the tomato remains by far the favorite vegetable of the French, who swallow on average 14 kilos per year and per capita.

In Brittany, the profession looks closely at the evolution of the virus but also its repercussions on sales. “The market is in crisis, farmers are already struggling to make ends meet. If there is a crisis of confidence, it risks destroying them ”, fears Sébastien Subéry. In a month, Breton tomatoes from heated greenhouses will flood supermarket stalls. Provided that customers do not ignore them.

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