Japan export registration workshop

Prepare for the 2021/22 Japan export season

It’s time to start preparing for the 2021/22 export season to Japan. One significant change to the process this year is the introduction of a new online registration system and this 1 June will provide guidance to growers and packers on the accreditation requirements and to demonstrate the new online registration system.

Workshop details – attend in-person or via Zoom

Date: Tuesday, 1 June 2021
Time: 1pm-4.15pm (WA), 2.30pm-5.45pm (SA), 3pm-6.15pm (AEST)
Location: Community Wellness and Respite Centre, 1A Edwards Street, Manjimup
Zoom: This workshop can also be attended via Zoom. A link will be sent to participants.
Please note: in-person attendance is limited to 30 people.
RSVP: by 26 May via trybooking.com/BRIBA. For RSVP help please contact Amanda Madden on admin2@avocado.org.au or 07 3846 6566.

Workshop agenda

This workshop will help prepare you for the 2021/22 export season to Japan.

  • Industry overview/outlook – Avocados Australia CEO John Tyas
  • WA avocado exports and markets – DPIRD’s Fiona Goss
  • Japan registration process – Avocados Australia CEO John Tyas
  • Introducing the new online export registration system – Australian Table Grape Association’s Jeff Scott
  • Afternoon tea
  • Preparing for audit – DAWE
  • Q&A
  • Click here for the full agenda

REGISTER FOR THE NEW EXPORT SYSTEM

Registrations will open on 1 June for growers and packhouses planning to export to Japan for the 2021/22 season.
TO BE READY you need to have an account within the new online registration system.
Please email the Export Development Manager at export@avocado.org.au with the name of your designated contact and their email.
If you have any questions, please call 07 3846 6566 (AEST).

Key dates

1 June – IAN to be released (applications open)
1 June – Workshop in Manjimup, Western Australia (more on this below)
20 June – Accreditation application deadline
Mid-July – pre-season audits for all new growers and packhouses (those who did not register for season 2020) and those accredited who had compliance issues last season
Last week of July – List of accredited packhouses and growers sent to Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF)
End of July – Export season starts
September/October – in season audit for existing growers/packhouses who were registered and accredited for the previous season (2020)

Important notes
  • The pre-season audits cannot be delayed for the 2021/22 season.
  • Registrations will be online this year. You will need to create an account in the new system.
  • Only Hass avocados from officially recognised areas free of Queensland fruit fly – Western Australia, the Riverland region in South Australia (excluding the Renmark West suspension area) and Tasmania – can be exported to Japan. Read more.
  • Due to logistical reasons the existing growers/packhouses might be audited pre-season rather than in season. If that will be the case, accredited properties will be notified accordingly. Please be ready if this occurs.

Listing on our Global pages

Avocados Australia maintains a Global section on our website, providing resources for our industry’s international customers. You can view our Japan page (in the global section) by clicking here.

You will see one packhouse listed (as an example). Once you are accredited, please email export@avocado.org.au if you would like your packhouse to be added to this list. Please provide:

  • Company name
  • Key contact
  • International phone number
  • Email
  • Website URL
  • Location
  • Harvest/export season.
Hort Innovation - Strategic Levy Investment (Avocado Fund)

This event is part of the strategic levy investment project Avocado market access and trade development (AV20004). This project has been funded by Hort Innovation, using the Hort Innovation avocado research and development levy. Hort Innovation is the grower-owned, not-for-profit research and development corporation for Australian horticulture.

 

 

AvoGrow Webinar – 2021 Avocado Irrigation Summit Special

2021 Avocado Irrigation Summit Special

As part of the 2021 Avocado Irrigation Summit, the Avogrow Webinar Series is presenting the guest presentation from Udi Gafni, the Technical Services Lead for Avocado Granot, Israel.

Udi will join the 2021 Avocado Irrigation summit group via Zoom during the dinner to present information on the avocado irrigation practices in Israel and those in orchards that he consults to in Chile, Peru, South Africa, Kenya and Australia.

We invite you to attend too.

  • Date: Wednesday May 19 2021
  • Time: QLD, NSW & VIC – 7pm, SA – 6:30pm, WA – 5pm
  • Main topic: Avocado Irrigation
  • Click here for the agenda
  • Location: Zoom

More information

 

Water Information Session – Childers

Managing avocados with less water

This will be a COVID-19 compliant and safe event. You MUST RSVP to attend the event. If you are feeling unwell on the day it is YOUR social responsibility to stay at home.

  • Date: Monday May 24
  • Time: 7:30am – 11am
  • Agenda: Click here
  • Location: Paragon Theatre, 75 Churchill Street, Childers

Important RSVP COVID-19 Information

More information

  • Avocados Australia Industry Development Manager Liz Singh, 0499 854 111 or idm@avocado.org.au (Mon-Thurs 9am-3pm)

 

 

Avo Connections 2021 – special Hort Connections event

This event is fully booked, but you can still use the link below to have your name added to the waitlist.

As this is a COVIDsafe event, numbers are strictly limited. If you are feeling unwell on the day, please stay home.

The Australian avocado industry invites all members of the industry to join us this year at the Avo Connections event which will take place on 7 June 2021 in Brisbane (prior to Hort Connections). This event provides a great opportunity to join key industry stakeholders from across the supply chain and hear the latest in industry, marketing, retail and supply chain R&D developments. (Also check out the details below for a special avocado tissue culture update.)

Details

Date: Monday, 7 June 2021
Time: 12.30pm-4.30pm (lunch included)
Register: Tickets are limited! Book your seat today by clicking here. If you have any problems booking, please contact Avocados Australia’s Amanda on admin2@avocado.org.au or call 07 3846 6566. This is a free event but please RSVP to ensure COVIDsafe capacity is not exceeded.

Speakers

Adele Nowakowska (Hort Innovation) who will provide an update on the industry’s latest marketing initiatives.

Woolworths’s Jessica Loader will provide an update on retail activities and avocados.

Noel Ainsworth (QDAF) will provide valuable insights into fruit quality and supply chain temperatures from grower to ripening/wholesale after sampling five regions for a two-year period for project AV18000.

Adam Goldwater (AHR) will follow on with an update on the retail performance of avocados after sampling carried out in metropolitan stores during the last 12 months as part of project AV19003.

Click here for the agenda.

Avocado tissue culture industry update from QAAFI

There is another exciting avocado event in the morning, also in Meeting Room M2.

The University of Queensland Professor Neena Mitter and her research team at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation in partnership with the University of Southern Queensland and Central Queensland University, would like to invite the avocado community to an industry stakeholder’s information day.
The day will include presentations and discussions on:

  • Our progress with avocado rootstock tissue culture; this will include access to culture jars containing tissue cultured avocado so participants can experience first-hand what we are discussing
  • plant/tree performance results from commercially managed field trials
  • the perceptions of tissue culture from industry, and
  • economic and market feasibility of these rootstocks entering the market.The aim of this information day is to support an understanding of the science, in addition to facilitating discussions on how these plants are transitioning into commercial orchards and the predicted associated economic and industry impacts.Day starts at 8:30am registration for a 9am start with coffee on arrival.Morning tea will be provided. This is a free event but please RSVP to ensure COVIDsafe capacity is not exceeded.

Want to know more about Hort Connections?

Click here for the event website.

 

Tristate Regional Forum

Regional Forum – Mildura

TRISTATE REGIONAL FORUM – WEDNESDAY MAY 5

Welcome back to physical meetings of the AV17005 Avocado Industry Development & Extension project’s Regional Forums in 2021.

This will be a COVID-19 compliant and safe event. You MUST RSVP to attend the event. If you are feeling unwell on the day it is YOUR social responsibility to stay at home.

  • Date: Wednesday May 5 2021
  • Time: 8:30am to 3:30pm (morning tea & lunch provided)
  • Main topic: Avocado nutrition
  • Click here for the agenda
  • Location: The Setts, 110-114 Eighth St, Mildura, VIC
  • Orchard walk: Gill Farms, Kulkyne Way, Iraak, VIC

Important RSVP COVID-19 Information

More information

Monitoring avocado quality: Avocado Update webinar

Monitoring is one of the key tools helping the Australian avocado industry meet its target of supplying top-quality fruit to consumers.

Noel Ainsworth (QDAF) will provide valuable insights into fruit quality and supply chain temperatures from grower to ripening/wholesale after sampling five regions for a two year period for project AV18000. From this, Noel will explore reasons for poor quality and the recommended best practice to prevent and manage identified issues.

Adam Goldwater (AHR) will follow on with an update on the retail performance of avocados after sampling carried out in metropolitan stores during the last 12 months as part of project AV19003. Here, attendees will be provided valuable insights into how quality is tracking at retail and explore trends by retail market city, retail display formats and further quality attributes such as age, ripeness and internal defect levels.

This webinar is a not to be missed event for wholesalers, ripeners and consolidators in the avocado industry!

Details & how to register

Date: Wednesday, 12 May 2021
Time: 8am-9am (Western Australia), 9:30am-10:30am (South Australia & Northern Territory) 10am-11am (AEST)
Book online: click here
RSVPs close: 10 May 2021
On the day: Once you book via the link above, you will receive a confirmation email from TryBooking, including the Zoom link for the session. We will also send a reminder email (with the link) to those on our RSVP list the day before.

What we’ll cover

The industry has a goal of ensuring that 90% of the avocados purchased by our consumers meet their quality expectations, to encourage repeat purchases. Monitoring is vital to help industry encourage increasing domestic consumption and export demand.

From the perspective of quality through the supply chain, Noel Ainsworth will provide an update on fruit quality by district, temperatures through the supply chain by district and emerging reasons for poor quality.

Adam Goldwater will then present results from fruit quality monitoring at retail, examining avocado quality by:

  • district
  • country of origin
  • type of flesh defect
  • retail market city
  • retail display format
  • stage of ripeness on display, and
  • fruit age at retail.

The presentation will conclude by examining fruit quality by district comparing the results from the supply chain and retail monitoring projects. It will focus on the common trends across districts and what are some of the possible reasons for differences.

This webinar will be recorded and available via the BPR Library.

Speakers

Noel Ainsworth is the Principal Supply Chain Horticulturist with the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. Noel’s career has involved a number of management, extension, research, and consulting roles in non-government and government entities. These have been across the disciplines of natural resource management, agriculture and the environment. Through this he has built extensive experience and networks in a range of rural industries ranging from tree crops, to vegetables, wine and hydroponics. To back this experience, Noel has formal training in the social sciences, management and plant physiology. Among Noel’s current projects is Implementing best practice of avocado fruit management and handling practices from farm to ripening (AV18000).

 

Adam Goldwater is a horticultural researcher at Applied Horticultural Research, with a commercial background in the fresh produce industry, including as an avocado ripener. He is project leader of Monitoring avocado quality at retail (AV19003) which commenced assessments of avocado quality at retail in May 2020. Adam’s key objective in that project is to provide rapid quality feedback to suppliers and retailers to help them regularly identify opportunities for quality improvement. De-identified data is also used to help monitor industry performance as a whole. Click here to check out the latest retail monitoring reports in the BPR.

 

Avocado Phosphorous Acid Workshop

Enhanced management of phytophthora: Avocado Phosphorous Acid Workshop

Join Associate Professor Liz Dann from QAAFI for a presentation on the latest research on phos acid application for phytophthora management. Dr Geoff Dickinson and Ms Ebony Faichney will also present on the Best Practice Resources.

When: 21 April 2021, 3:30pm to 5pm (refreshments available from 3pm)
Where: Mareeba United Football Club, Borzi Park, Chewko Rd, Mareeba
Cost: Free
Register: dale.bennett@daf.qld.gov.au or 0436 940 681
Click here to download the flyer (PDF link).

AvoSkills – Central Queensland NEW DATE

***THIS EVENT WAS POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19. NEW DATE***

The COVID-delayed AvoSkills workshop, covering the “A” to “O” of avocado orchard management, will be held in Bundaberg on 21-22 September (COVID-19 permitting).

  • Date: Tuesday & Wednesday, 21-22 September 2021
  • Location: Bundaberg Multiplex
  • Agenda: Click here to download the flyer
  • Submit your expression of interest: Due this event being rescheduled, there are now a limited number of places available for new groewrs. Please contact Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries’ Bridie Carr via bridie.carr@daf.qld.gov.au or 0436 675 740 to register your interest by 10 September 2021.
  • Places are strictly limited. To ensure everyone gets the most of this workshop, places are strictly limited to 40 participants. Applicants will be notified about their places three weeks before the event.
  • Should I attend? In this practical, fun and hands-on workshop, we will tackle the essentials of growing good quality fruit productively. The workshop is tailored toward growers who have recently joined the avocado industry, re-sellers, farm supervisors and farm managers.
  • Will we be in the field? Morning sessions will be held indoors, with practical afternoon sessions at nearby local orchards.
  • Catering: morning tea & lunch provided

AvoSkills workshops are also planned for Central New South Wales and the Tristate. Be sure to keep an eye out in the events calendar on the Avocados Australia website, or in the Guacamole for details. All industry members are welcome to attend any event.

 

 

Be sure to keep an eye out in this calendar for events nationally. All industry members are welcome to attend any event.

This event is part of the strategic levy investment project, Avocado industry development and extension (AV17005), part of the Hort Innovation Avocado Fund. This project has been funded by Hort Innovation, using the Hort Innovation avocado research and development levy, co-investment from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, and contributions from the Australian Government. Hort Innovation is the grower-owned, not-for-profit research and development corporation for Australian horticulture.

 

Hort Innovation - Strategic Levy Investment (Avocado Fund)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Members Breakfast – South Queensland

Special Avocados Australia Members Breakfast

Join us for breakfast, meet other regional Avocados Australia members, and get the inside scoop on industry and business issues.

All Avocados Australia members are invited to this event, the first in a national series. However, preference will be given to South Queensland members, should the COVIDsafe capacity of the venue be reached.

Members are encouraged to bring a guest from their business to this event, where you and they will have the chance to learn more about the important domestic market and agripolitcal activities supported by your membership fees. Please note, due to the limited numbers available under COVID restrictions, we are limiting this event to two people per membership, and preference will be given to those in South Queensland.

Agenda
6:45am-7am – Registration and seating
7am-7:10am – Welcome – Daryl Boardman, Avocados Australia Director
7:10am-7:35am – Domestic Market Update – Hayleigh Dawson, Avocados Australia Market Development Manager
7:35am-7:50am – Local Connections – Todd Rohl, CEO Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce
7:50am-8:15am – Question time with Avocados Australia Director Daryl Boardman and Chief Executive Officer John Tyas
Download the flyer by clicking here.

Location
Crows Nest Community & RSL Centre – 28-30 William St, Crows Nest QLD 4355
Date & Time
Wednesday, 24th March 2021 – 6:45am-8:15am
RSVP essential
RSVP by Friday, March 19 to Amanda Madden at admin2@avocado.org.au or call (07) 3846 6566. Full name, address, phone, email and food order required. Breakfast is included as part of this event, but the caterer requires set orders ahead of time.
Your breakfast options
Food – please advise which one of the following food items you would like with either tomato or BBQ sauce:

  • burger – egg, bacon, lettuce, tomato and cheese
  • wrap – egg, bacon, greens, tomato and cheese (please note the wrap can be gluten free).
    Please note, your food choice will not be able to be changed on the day of the event.

Beverage – please advise which one of the following beverages you would like with either normal, skinny or soya milk and sugar:

  • tea
  • coffee (cappuccino, flat white, latte, long black)
  • hot chocolate.

Please note, your breakfast hot beverage from the coffee van is included as part of the member event. Hot beverages from the van later in the day will be $5.

Note: This is a COVID-19 compliant event. Attendance is by RSVP ONLY. If you are not feeling well, it is your social responsibility to stay home.

Reef Certification Training

Training opportunity for avocado growers

Avocado growers within the Great Barrier Reef catchments are invited to attend a short, sharp training session to assist in successful completion of the Hort360 Reef Certification.

Details

Date: Wednesday, February 24
Time: 12pm-12:45pm
Topic: Reef Certification
Agenda: Click here to access the agenda

Location: to be delivered by Zoom. Instructions on how to join and participate will be distributed to attendees. Need some tips on how to join a Zoom meeting? Click here!

RSVP: by Tuesday February 23 to Liz Singh at idm@avocado.org.au

For those who RSVP, we will be sending out instructions on how to join and participate in the webinar directly to you, in advance of the event.

More information
Avocados Australia Industry Development Manager Liz Singh, 0499 854 111 or idm@avocado.org.au (Mon-Thurs 9am-3pm)

 

About the the training

Scott Wallace from Growcom will walk through the steps necessary to obtain Reef Certification for avocados, including the required components of nutrient, sediment, pesticide and irrigation management.

Scott will also talk about auditing, and has allocated time for questions.

This is a great opportunity to kick start your Reef Certification to demonstrate your environmental stewardship and industry best practice standards in the Great Barrier Reef catchments.

 

The Hort360 Reef Certification aligns and leverages off current systems (i.e. Freshcare) used by horticulture businesses to provide a specific water quality outcome. This will ensure there is reduced administration effort for you.

Hort360 is likely to meet the requirements of the new standard to be applied under the new Queensland Government reef regulations, which are due to be implemented in 2022.

The Hort360 Reef Certification audit is free and assistance to complete the compliance requirements is available via the Hort360 GBR team.