Notice of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye on Amendment of the emergency measures in order to prevent the introduction into and the spread within Türkiye of Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV)

The European Union published Commission Implementing Directive No: 2023/1032 dated 25 May 2023 and the implementation date was extended until 31 August 2023.The implementation of the phytosanitary measures of Türkiye included in the SPS notification G/SPSN/TUR/109/Add.4 published in accordance with this directive has also been extended until 31 August 2023.In addition, Commission Implementing Directive No: 2023/1032 dated 25 May 2023 specifies the the implementation period and the new phytosanitary measures to be implemented as of 1 September 2023.The phytosanitary requirements for tomato and pepper seeds and plants for planting purposes from countries after 31 August 2023 within the scope of harmonization with this directive are stated below, which will be valid from 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2024.For tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and pepper (Capsicum sp.) plants for planting purposes other than those belonging to varieties known to be resistant to ToBRFV:  1. a) an official declaration that the plants intended for planting have been obtained from seeds that comply with the specified requirements;b) an official declaration that the plants intended for planting have been produced at a production site registered and inspected by the national plant protection agency in the country of origin and known to be free from the specified pest organism on the basis of official inspections, sampling and testing carried out at the appropriate time to detect the pest organism;c) the name of the registered production site must be indicated in the Phytosanitary Certificate of Lycopersicum Capsicum under the heading "Additional Declaration";2. For the planting of varieties known to be resistant to ToBRFV, the resistance of certain tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and pepper (Capsicum sp.) plants must be indicated in the Phytosanitary Certificate of Lycopersicum Capsicum under the heading "Additional Declaration".Except for certain tomato (Lycopersicum solanum) and pepper (Capsicum sp.) seeds of varieties known to be resistant to ToBRFV:1. a. i) products must have been produced at a production site known to be free of the specified harmful organism, based on official inspections conducted at the appropriate time to detect ToBRFV;ii) in the case of a specific seed batch from more than 30 mother plants, it must be stated that the seed batch has been subjected to analysis using the RT-PCR method prior to processing and that the product is free of the pest organism in question;iii) in the case of a specific batch of seeds originating from fewer than or equal to 30 mother plants, that the specified seeds or mother plants are free from the specified pest organism, using the RT-PCR analysis method;b) information ensuring the traceability of the production site of the mother plants must be indicated in the Phytosanitary Certificate of Lycopersicum capsicum under the heading "Additional Declaration";2. Seeds of varieties known to be resistant to ToBRFV should be indicated as "Additional Declaration" in the Phytosanitary Certificate;3. For certain seeds harvested before 31 August 2023, the country's phytosanitary and quarantine legislation must be determined to comply with the requirements of EU legislation (Commission Implementing Directive No: 2020/1191). The additional declaration of the Phytosanitary Certificate must include the statement "The seeds were harvested before 31 August 2023 and were found to be free of the specified pest organism using the PT-PCR analysis method."