"The problem in our greenhouse tomato production techniques is that we have plants that are relatively close", explains an agricultural engineer, based near Brest, at the microphone of Europe 1. Tuesday, a first case tomato virus (ToBRFV) has been confirmed on a farm in Finistère. A greenhouse tomato operation, or the risk of contamination increases due to the proximity between the plants. "Watering could very quickly transmit this virus through the roots, through fertilization, or through contact of people who touch a plant with their hands and who could cause spread in a whole greenhouse, and from one greenhouse to the other."
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700 hectares, 3,500 direct jobs
It is then a whole industry and a whole region that are on the lookout. Indeed, with 700 hectares and more than 3,500 direct jobs, Brittany is a stronghold of the sector. A third of French production comes from elsewhere in this region. So when a virus is detected, as is the case in this production of Finistère, there is panic.
A monitoring plan should be implemented, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. An industry professional has said that the ToBRFV virus may be hiding in seeds grown in South America (possibly Peru). While the tomato virus has been rife in France since 2018, this same professional, who has implemented his own protocol, is surprised that no measure has been taken by France to limit the risks of having the virus raged .