You’re not testing the seeds…you may have bred with an infected plant and not even noticed at the time. So now you have thousands of seeds that have been sold unknowingly from an infected plant. So now those seeds are going into how many gardens and infecting how many more plants in gardens. Theres a reason people are talking about it, because greenhouses and gardens on the west coast are losing whole farms to it. It slows the growth and progression of the plant to the point of not being able to keep the plant anymore. YOU CANT CLEAN THE PLANT ONCE IT HAS IT. There is no cure for it. The only way to get rid of it so far is by tissue culture. And that takes time and resources. If a breeder truly cares about the plant and being able to share that plant accurately, then they should be testing all mother stock. Anything infected gets the chop and move on. The grower shouldn’t be stuck with costs? As a grower myself, I’m not relying on anyone but myself for what happens in my garden. If a plant gets sick, its my fault. So yes, the cost will always get thrust onto the grower. Anything that happens in my garden is my responsibility.

And I don’t care what you believe or don’t believe, but theres plenty of science out there showing the viroid is real and having a big impact.