What is AvoGreen®?
AvoGreen® is an approach to avocado production that aims to increase the profitability and improve the
sustainability of avocado growers by ensuring more controlled decisions and by focusing on the market desire
for safe and healthy fruit grown with minimal impact on the environment and the community.
sustainability of avocado growers by ensuring more controlled decisions and by focusing on the market desire
for safe and healthy fruit grown with minimal impact on the environment and the community.
Consumers and the wider community consider pesticides to be very harmful. However pesticides are also potent
management tools for growers and the industry needs to preserve their use. Public concerns need to be
addressed and pesticides need to be used carefully and prudently. Extracting maximum benefit from each
and every spray applied would help meet both of these aims.
management tools for growers and the industry needs to preserve their use. Public concerns need to be
addressed and pesticides need to be used carefully and prudently. Extracting maximum benefit from each
and every spray applied would help meet both of these aims.
AvoGreen® uses the principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to ensure pesticides are used only when
needed. This approach serves to justify the continued use of pesticides by growers while ensuring use is
minimised and not excessive.
Monitoring is the key way used to adapt pest control on an orchard to the actual pest situation found on that orchard. Action thresholds are an integral part of ensuring effective use, keeping pest populations below levels that cause economic loss.
The AvoGreen® system has to be rigorous and auditable to provide the necessary quality and safety assurances to our customers.
The AvoGreen® system is owned and operated by the AGA for the overall good of the industry. The Board is
responsible for the system and how it is managed.
AvoGreen® was initiated in 2001 and since then has been tested and proven to be a successful pest management tool, even under high pest pressure. The system is reviewed annually and improved as circumstances change, and comments from growers and other industry players will be sought as part of each review.
This information has been prepared to help inform growers and the wider industry about AvoGreen® and how
it can help growers make more informed and better decisions on the management of pests to minimise
losses. The whole industry stands to benefit.
If universal adoption of AvoGreen® is approved by the Board, there will be a two-year implementation to allow the necessary training and education to be done. During this time the emphasis will be on education to get the systems working properly rather than on compliance.
Growers become AvoGreen® compliant once they have a monitoring agreement with an Operator and a
Sample Plan (or Plans) for the orchard has been drawn up. Note that growers do not have to be registered
or become approved unless they personally are undertaking the monitoring. Crops for which AvoGreen®
compliance has lapsed may still be accepted for export at the discretion of the AIC and after a review of each
case.
Why follow the AvoGreen® programme?
The AvoGreen® programme helps growers by:
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Improving packout rates, where rejects are significantly due to pests.
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Saving the use of a spray when none is needed, so reducing costs.
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Helping deliver fruit that is acceptable to all markets.
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Providing a point of difference for discerning markets.
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Providing an IPM system that is cost effective.
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Ensuring that statutory requirements are met (for both ERMA and local territorial Councils).
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Delivering a more sustainable production system.
Definition of IPM
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is the management of pests (including diseases) using a combination of methods to reduce the dependence on pesticide sprays and so minimise adverse effects on people and the environment. There is an emphasis on biological control and economic action thresholds.
The basic concepts underlying an IPM programme include:
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Prevention – knowledge of potential problems.
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Observation – monitoring.
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Intervention – when necessary and with minimal side-effects.
The Structure of the AvoGreen® Programme
Using IPM principles, the AIC has developed a Standard to define AvoGreen® for both growers and
customers. To see what is required for an avocado crop to become AvoGreen click here.
The AvoGreen® system is made up of:
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A monitoring system including thresholds and a web-based manual.
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Other approved control options and decision-support processes, as given below in the Standard.
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An accreditation and registration process for Monitors, Operators and Owner-Operators.
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Databases of registered Monitors, Operators and Owner-Operators.
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An audit process.
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A training system for Monitors.
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A review and improvement process.
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Labelling and signage, including point of sale material.
In the AvoGreen® system, key roles are:
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An Operator: a business (e.g. a packhouse) that supplies a monitoring service to growers
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An Owner-Operator: a grower or manager who undertakes monitoring on their own orchard.
see below for full details -
A Monitor: an individual employed by an Operator who goes onto orchards to monitor pests (a grower can be an Owner-Operator and a Monitor)
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A Registered Trainer: an individual approved to train Monitors.
Because these roles are critical, those undertaking them have to be accredited with the AIC.
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Bravo
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DMS
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Fruitfed Supplies
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Seeka
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Trevelyans
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Natural Touch
