Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV): working group update

Originally established in 2019, the ToBRFV working group was established to help the industry form a response, and mitigate for, this virus threat for UK production. The group consists of commercial tomato and pepper growers who have experience with the diseases, researchers and scientists from Defra Plant Health, Fera Science Ltd, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and the Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate (PHSI).

The group is chaired by Phil Morley, and continues to meet on a monthly basis to monitor the situation and discuss and action a response to arising issues. The main purpose is to share experiences and expertise and there is a ToBRFV information hub hosted on the Fera Science Ltd website: a one stop shop for information dissemination and signposting to relevant content to assist growers in minimising the risk of acquiring the virus, as well as provide advice on what to do if positive results are found.

We will continue to develop this online portal as our central, up-to-date resource, working alongside with Fera Science Ltd and Defra teams.

Research and development

Within the group we also discuss recent and current research on the virus to reduce the risk the presence of the virus in UK crops, and improve the management of it if an infection occurs. We examine options for future research and associated funding including utilising the Fera Enigma collaborative research framework. 

Presentations from the 2023 British Tomato Conference

During the 2023 British Tomato Conference we had a session on ToBRFV, which included a panel where we interviewed a panel of experts on the virus from seed companies, Defra, Fera Science Ltd, as well as a grower. You can download these presentations from here.

If you have any queries about ToBRFV or would like to get in touch with the working group, please email phil.morley@britishtomatoes.co.uk.