Potato Mop-Top Virus Update

An additional two extra seed lines have tested positive for Potato Mop-Top Virus in Tasmania, bringing the total number of confirmed sites of concern in the state to eight.

As of September 4, there are six grower sites in Tasmania from which harvested potatoes have tested positive for PMTV. In addition to these six, there are two other sites where infected potatoes have been identified, including a research site in the state's south and a storage site in the north. Four of the affected sites have direct linkages with each other, including the research plot.

Biosecurity Tasmania continues to work with impacted growers and potato industry bodies to conduct additional surveillance and diagnostics of potato stock. They are also doing trace-forward and trace-back operations to determine the potential distribution of the virus, and possible infection pathway.

The detection has been formally notified under Australia’s national emergency response arrangements and is now under active consideration by the Consultative Committee on Emergency Plant Pests (CCEPP), operating under the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed (EPPRD).

The response continues to focus on surveillance and testing, and next steps including an assessment of the feasibility of eradication, will depend on information gathered.​