Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to search
Home

Top navigation main

  • News & media
  • Jobs
  • Ministers
  • Contact us
Main menu

AWE Main

  • Agriculture and land
    Agriculture and land Building stronger and more sustainable agriculture, fisheries, forestry and land care.
    • Animal health
    • Climate change and agriculture
    • Drought, disaster and rural support
    • Farming, food and drought
    • Fisheries
    • Forestry
    • Levies and charges on agricultural products
    • Mouse infestation advice
    • Plant health
    Xylella

    Protect against unwanted plant pests

    Our biosecurity system helps protects us. Everyone has a role in supporting our biosecurity system.

    Find out more

  • Biosecurity and trade
    Biosecurity and trade
    • Aircraft, vessels and military
    • Biosecurity policy
    • Cats and dogs
    • Exporting
    • Importing
    • Pests, diseases and weeds
    • Public awareness and education
    • Trade and market access
    • Travelling or sending goods to Australia
    • Report a concern
    Brown marmorated stink bug

    BMSB Seasonal Measures

    Australia has strengthened seasonal measures to manage the risk of BMSB.

    View our seasonal measures

  • Science and research
    Science and research Undertaking research and collecting data to support informed decisions and policies.
    • Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES)
    • Plant Innovation Centre
    Abares

    ABARES Insights

    Get 'snapshots’ of agricultural, forestry and fisheries industries, or analysis of key issues.

    Find out more

  • About us
    About us We enhance our agricultural industries and trade, and manage the threat of biosecurity risks to Australia.
    • Accountability and reporting
    • Assistance, grants and tenders
    • Contact us
    • Fees and charges
    • News and media
    • Our commitment to you
    • Payments
    • People and jobs
    • Publications
    • What we do
    • Who we are
    Budget 2025-26

    Budget 2025-26

    The 2025–26 Portfolio Budget Statements were released on 25 March 2025.

    Find out more

  • Online services
    Online services We do business with you using online platforms. This makes it easier for you to meet your legal requirements.
Department of Agriculture

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Biosecurity and trade
  3. Biosecurity
  4. Import risk analyses
  5. Plant risk analyses
  6. Avocados from Chile
  7. Fact sheet

Sidebar first - Biosecurity

  • Plant risk analyses
    • Plant commodity/country and pest risk analyses
    • How we conduct a plant risk analysis

Biosecurity Fact Sheet - Avocados from Chile

​​​​​​​​​Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, February 2019

The factsheet provides an overview of the risk analysis for fresh avocado fruit from Chile.​

Download

DocumentPagesFile size
Biosecurity Fact Sheet: Avocados from Chile PDF2168 KB

If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility for assistance.

Online version

Key facts

  • We released the draft report for fresh avocado fruit from Chile on 28 February 2019, for public consultation.
  • Stakeholders are invited to comment on the draft report during the 60 calendar day public consultation period, closing on 29 April 2019.
  • The final report will be published after consideration of comments on the draft report. We expect to publish the final report around late 2019.

Risk analysis for avocados from Chile

We initiated a risk analysis in response to a formal market access request for fresh avocado fruit to Australia from Chile. Avocado fruit is Chile’s highest horticultural priority for new market access.

Australia (as a World Trade Organization member) must meet its international obligations by assessing market access requests (import proposals) and developing the least trade restrictive and scientifically justified import conditions where required. Our trading partners use the same principles when assessing Australian market access requests.

Australia currently permits imports of fresh avocado fruit from New Zealand, provided they meet Australia’s biosecurity import conditions.

The draft report identifies seven quarantine pests associated with avocados from Chile that require risk management measures, in combination with operational systems, to achieve the appropriate level of protection for Australia. These pests are:

  • Fruit flies: Mediterranean fruit fly
  • Mealybugs: grape mealybug
  • Thrips: Chilean flower thrips, tamarugo thrips and western flower thrips
  • Mites: avocado brown mite and avocado red mite

The proposed risk management measures include:

  • for Mediterranean fruit fly: area freedom or fruit treatment (such as cold disinfestation treatment) for all cultivars; or hard condition of fruit for the Hass cultivar only
  • for mealybugs, mites and thrips: consignment freedom verified by pre-export visual inspection and, if detected, remedial action.

Process for a risk analysis

The objective of undertaking a risk analysis is to ensure that any fresh products imported into Australia are free from unwanted pests. The department initially identifies pests associated with fruit or vegetable production and export in the source country that are not present in Australia.

The assessment includes analysis of the potential pests of concern and recommends risk management measures if required. If there are no available risk management measures to effectively manage particular biosecurity risks, trade is not permitted until suitable measures are identified. As part of the risk analysis process, the department will also verify commercial production, packing and export practices in the source country.

How stakeholders can contribute

Stakeholders are invited to comment on the draft report during the public consultation period, which closes on 29 April 2019. Stakeholders can make their submission via the department’s website. The final report will be published after consideration of stakeholder comments.

Australia-Chile trade

Australia and Chile have a strong two-way trade relationship. Chile is Australia’s third largest trading partner in Latin America. In 2016, Australian goods exported to Chile were worth around $469 million. Over the same period, Chilean goods imported into Australia were worth around $533 million.

Avocado production in Chile

Chile is one of the largest producers of avocados in the world, producing around 215,000 tonnes in 2016-17 and exporting around 147,000 tonnes in 2016. Chile exports avocados to Argentina, China, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Hass is the main cultivar exported from Chile and is expected to be the only cultivar exported to Australia.

Avocado production in Australia

Australian avocados are produced all year round, with production mainly in Queensland (March-September), northern New South Wales (July-October) and Western Australia (July-March). The main varieties produced are Hass and Shephard.

Australia imports avocados from New Zealand, mainly from September to March, which supplements the Australian supply during the spring/summer harvest season. In 2016-17, Australia imported 23,355 tonnes of avocados from New Zealand.

In both production and exports, Australia is currently a small player in the world avocado market. In 2017-18, Australia produced 77,032 tonnes of avocado, with exports accounting for 2.3 percent of production. Australia’s main avocado export markets are Malaysia and Singapore, accounting for over 80 per cent of avocado exports.1

Subscribe for updates

If you are interested in receiving further updates on biosecurity risk analyses, we invite you to subscribe via online subscription service. 


1https://www.avocado.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2017-18_AAL-Facts-at-a-glance_FINAL.pdf

​​

General enquiries

Call 1800 900 090

Contact us online

Report a biosecurity concern

Thanks for your feedback.
Thanks! Your feedback has been submitted.

We aren't able to respond to your individual comments or questions.
To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Please verify that you are not a robot.

Skip
Page last updated: 04 November 2019

We acknowledge the continuous connection of First Nations Traditional Owners and Custodians to the lands, seas and waters of Australia. We recognise their care for and cultivation of Country. We pay respect to Elders past and present, and recognise their knowledge and contribution to the productivity, innovation and sustainability of Australia’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries.

Artwork: Protecting our Country, Growing our Future
© Amy Allerton, contemporary Aboriginal Artist of the Gumbaynggirr, Bundjalung and Gamilaroi nations.

Footer

  • Contact us
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • FOI

© Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Facebook X LinkedIn Instagram