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South American tomato moth - Tuta absoluta

Tuta absoluta is a pest of tomatoes from South America, mining the leaves and burrowing into fruit. It was first detected in Europe (Spain) in 2006 and has subsequently been spreading rapidly across Southern Europe, causing a very high level of damage to tomato crops in some regions. Tuta absoluta is not established in the UK and given its damaging nature statutory action is taken when it is detected. Advice is available to packing stations to help them mitigate the risk of introducing and spreading the pest.