The virus can affect tomatoes. (File photo) Photo: Thomas Martinsen/ Unsplash
Tomatoes NZ is calling for a ban on all tomatoes from Australia, to stop a virus entering the country and decimating Aotearoa's crops.
Australia has had its first case of Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus, on two properties in South Australia.
The Ministry for Primary Industries has paused some Australian exports but is still allowing tomatoes in from Queensland, where the virus is not present, and is testing seeds which can also contain the virus.
Tomatoes NZ said the virus spreads extremely easily and could spell crop losses of up to 80 percent here. Its chairperson Barry O'Neil told Checkpoint the virus is the worst virus in the tomato industry that New Zealand could possibly deal with.
Tomatoes NZ wants ban on tomatoes from Australia due to virus
"It's a virus that has relatively recently spread around the world, it was found in Middle East in 2015 for the first time and now is on every continent, Europe, North and South America, China, Asia. But this is the first time it's been found in Australia," he said.
"It's extremely infectious and it can have a significant impact, up to 100 percent of the crop will become infected and yields will decrease by about 70 percent.
"It's one of those viruses we've been keeping a close eye on as it spreads around the world and our number one strategy has to be to keep this virus out of New Zealand."
O'Neil said until New Zealand fully understands the situation Australia is dealing with, all imports of tomatoes from Australia should be suspended.
"At the moment the Australian authorities are still trying to work through the extent of the spread, one of the properties involved, we understand is a very large propagator that sends tomato plants all around South Australia where the infection has been found and in other states."
He said currently, the Ministry for Primary Industries had restrictions on seed imports.
"Seeds have to be tested before they come to New Zealand now, obviously as a country dependent on imported seeds for most of our vegetable production, we still have to somehow find a way to import seeds and to import them safely, and that normally requires testing, which is what MPI has put in place with the Australian seed exports."
Tomato growers would shut up shop and walk away if the virus was to arrive in New Zealand.
"Growers are already struggling with the energy costs and the additional impact of a virus of this nature. I think would mean a number of our growers would just close down, and that's exactly what we don't need or want to be happening.
"We need to be more sufficient in supplying food, especially vegetables, to the New Zealand population."
He said in the past, when New Zealand had dealt with problems with viruses in exports, exports from New Zealand had been suspended.
"When there is a problem, the exports from New Zealand are suspended and they were suspended for a number of years while we dealt with a different virus in New Zealand like the Pepino mosaic virus.
"We believe the Australians would have closed down our exports straight away and waited for MPI to report back to them as to what the situation is, now we understand the Australian authorities are likely to report back to MPI in the next couple of days."
O'Neil said the tomato industry on a value basis is a $130 million industry in New Zealand.
"We currently have imports of tomatoes coming to New Zealand, especially in winter when prices are high and for instance over the last month, about 130 tonnes of Australian tomatoes have come across the Tasman to New Zealand."
There will be more supply of New Zealand tomatoes from September onwards.
"Very shortly, we will be getting into warmer weather, longer sunlight hours, so our production will increase in New Zealand, I would expect from September onwards, we'll have increasing volumes of New Zealand tomatoes in our shops and prices will start to come down."
He said Plan A for tomato growers is to keep the virus out of New Zealand through using strict hygiene practises.
"Any country that's had this virus hasn't been able to eradicate it, it's so infectious.
"We're obviously seeking that all the growers have very strict hygiene practises, so stopping anyone coming into their houses, their growing houses other than their staff but giving staff clean clothes that they can use, stopping any personal material going on like cell phones, et cetera.
"For most countries that have had this virus, those practises may have slowed the spread, but they ultimately won't stop it."