In August 2024, a particularly transmissible and destructive virus affecting tomato, chilli and capsicum plants was detected in Australia for the first time, purportedly brought in via infected seed. The tomato brown rugose virus deforms and discolours fruit, affects the leaves of plants, and is very easily spread through seeds, plants, and people touching plants. There is no risk to food safety or human health from eating tomatoes with this disease.
In May 2025, the Australian, state and territory governments, and affected industry agreed that it was not technically feasible to eradicate the virus from Australia. The current biosecurity advice is mostly focused on restricting movement of tomato-related products between states, and development of a long term strategy is being undertaken at a federal level.
As a small community group with limited resources, we will do what is necessary to protect our supplies, and will continue to adapt our policies and practices as needed. Watch this space for any updates!
❌ As a proactive measure, we will unfortunately not be able to accept tomato, chilli or capsicum seed from unregistered donors until further notice.
We always advocate good seed and plant hygiene:
👍 Get your seedlings and seeds from reliable suppliers
👍 Wash hands, keep tools clean.
👍 Dispose of (don’t compost!) any plants that are diseased or have strange fruit. If you’re not sure, get some expert advice. Take a precautionary approach – it is better to lose a plant than to spread viruses, pests and diseases.
👎 Don’t save and grow seeds from store-bought produce, particularly not imported produce where the fruit may have been treated but the seeds will not.
👎 Don’t bring seeds into Australia in contravention of bio-security regulations. Protecting our agricultural biosecurity is vitally important.
If you think you have seen the virus, you must report any suspected signs of disease to the national Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881, which will put you in touch with your state or territory biosecurity agency.
You can read more about the Australian Government response HERE.
Photo credit: Luria et al., CC BY 4.0