This Regulation establishes new measures to prevent the presence of the Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) on tomato and pepper plants in the EU. The act changes the status of ToBRFV from a quarantine pest to a regulated non-quarantine pest due to its wide spread within the EU territory. It sets specific requirements for seeds and plants for planting of tomatoes and peppers to prevent virus transmission.The Regulation amends Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072 by adding new provisions in several annexes. The main changes include listing ToBRFV as a regulated non-quarantine pest with zero tolerance, establishing requirements for seeds and plants certification, and setting specific control frequencies for imports from different countries. The act also introduces exemptions for pepper varieties that are proven to be resistant to the virus.Key provisions include:
- Mandatory testing of seeds or mother plants for virus presence
- Requirements for plants to originate from virus-free countries or from tested seeds
- Special control measures for imports from Israel (50% testing) and China (100% testing)
- 20% minimum testing rate for imports from other countries
- Requirement of phytosanitary certificates and plant passports for regulated plants
- Exemptions for proven virus-resistant pepper varieties
