A highly-infectious virus that can cause between 30% and 70% losses in tomato and pepper plants that is spreading rapidly in Malta has led to a six-month ban on imports from Sicily.

The agriculture ministry made the announcement following initial reports in March.

The virus, known as the tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV), is a new viral strain that is easily transmitted by contact and can even survive on surfaces.

Besides potentially devastating losses of crop yields, the virus further harms tomato and pepper crops by reducing the plant’s endurance as well as reducing the time frame in which fruits are harvested by shortening the plant’s ‘production’ phase.

Although the symptoms can be confused with other, similar diseases and require testing to confirm, some of the more noticeable ones include deformation, blistering, mosaic-like patterns and fruits with patchy, discoloured skins.

Screenshot of a notice issued by the agriculture ministry.

Severely stricken crops will also display brown, necrotic ‘bruises’ on specific parts of the plant such as the stalks that attach leaves or flowers to the plant’s main stem.

According to the Government Gazette notice published on Wednesday by the agriculture ministry and the plant protection directorate (PPD), the ban can be renewed if the virus was not eradicated after six months.

Other EU member states have also had to face ToBRFV; in 2018, Germany had spotted its first cases, and had proceeded to eradicate the virus by the following year. 

Screenshot of a notice issued by the agriculture ministry.

“This ban is deemed necessary in order for the PPD to be able to assess in more depth the local situation on the cultivation of tomatoes and peppers in the Maltese territory,” the gazette notice reads.

“The continuation of trade and importation of said seeds and seedlings during this  assessment will hinder the analysis conducted and the possibility to  successfully control the spread of ToBRFV,” it adds.

Sources within the agricultural sector in Malta indicated that the outbreak of ToBRFV in Italian territory has been known of since 2018, and that the authorities had discovered seven infected locations in the province of Ragusa in 2019.

Questions sent to the plant protection directorate sought to provide further clarity regarding the specific origin of the virus and the importers that were responsible for it.

Due to possible bio-security risks, imports of plants, seedlings and seeds requires a license and several procedures which are meant to ensure such viruses or other diseases are not accidentally imported.

Malta’s licensing regime certifies importers and places the onus of ensuring that any kind of product that is imported satisfies all the criteria necessary for safe importation.