ALBANY -  State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker announced the commencement of the State's largest survey to combat Plum Pox Virus, a serious plant virus that infects stone fruit trees, reducing fruit yields and disfiguring fruit to the point that it becomes unmarketable. New York is the only remaining state in the nation with Plum Pox.

"As the last state in the nation with this physically and economically debilitating virus, it is imperative that we have a full-court press on our survey efforts this summer, and that is exactly what we plan to do," the Commissioner said. "We are fortunate to be able to utilize $1.3 million in federal funding to ramp up our surveillance efforts and initiate the largest, most aggressive survey to date to knock this virus out of our orchards, ensuring healthy and marketable growing stock and a viable future for our stone fruit producers in New York State."

Over the course of this summer, 30 state field surveyors will be collecting over 227,000 samples both in the eradication zone, as well as outside of it to determine the exact location and severity. The current eradication zone includes Wayne, Niagara and Orleans counties – all locations where the virus has previously been detected. In addition, surveys will be taken in Chautauqua County and the Finger Lakes, popular growing regions of stone fruit in the State. An additional 23,000 samples will be collected from homeowner trees by United States Department of Agriculture staff.

Jim Bittner, a partner of Singer Farms in Niagara County who grows approximately 100 acres of peaches, said, "This is a virus that could easily wipe out my peach production and have a devastating impact financially for my farm. I appreciate the State taking an aggressive stance in surveying for Plum Pox as I can't afford to lose my crop, nor my trees."

Plum Pox first appeared in the United States in Pennsylvania in October 1999. Since its discovery, the virus has spread to New York, which was first detected in a Niagara County orchard in 2006. The virus was also detected in Michigan in 2006; Michigan's small infestation was eradicated. Last summer, Pennsylvania successfully eradicated the virus, leaving New York as the only U.S. location with the virus; however, it is also present across the border in Ontario, Canada.

While Plum Pox Virus does not pose any human health risks, the virus causes symptoms in the leaves and the fruit that reduces the quantity and quality of fruit.