Maturity testing requirements
Eurofins early season maturity testing service for New Zealand market avocados in 2025 commences 5 May. Contact your packer to book a maturity clearance test.
Eurofins will provide avocado collection services initially 2 days per week on Mondays and Wednesdays. Collection and testing services will increase as seasonal demand dictates.
NZ Avocado will cover the cost of New Zealand market early season maturity collection and testing by Eurofins until 31 July 2025, for tests that pass the requirements outlined below. NZ Avocado will cover the cost of one domestic market pass per maturity clearance area only.
NZ Avocado will cover the cost of export maturity collection and testing by Eurofins until blanket clearance is given, for tests that pass the requirements outlined below.
NZ Avocado Subsidy
- From 1 May to 31 July NZ Avocado will cover the cost of maturity clearance passes that have met or exceed 23%. This includes marginal pass.
- A marginal pass criterion from 1 May to 31 July is implemented for any tests where fruit fail to meet the industry standards BUT meets either of the following:
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- Average dry matter meets or exceeds 22.8% DM (provided 18 out of 20 fruit meet or exceed 20.8% DM) OR
- 17 out 20 meet or exceed 20.8% DM (provided average dry matter exceeds 23%DM)
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- From August 1, NZ Avocado will only cover the cost for maturity clearance passes that have met or exceeded 24% as per the Export Maturity Clearance standards as is custom and practice. Note: This applies to all sample requests submitted from 1 August 2025.
- A marginal pass criteria from August 1, is implemented for any tests where fruit fail to meet the industry standards BUT meets either of the following:
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- Average dry matter meets or exceeds 23.8% DM (provided 18 out of 20 fruit meet or exceed 20.8% DM) OR
- 17 out 20 meet or exceed 20.8% DM (provided average dry matter exceeds 24%DM)
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Requirements for passed clearance:
- Minimum average dry matter across sample must be 23% for 5 May – 31 July and 24% for 1 August onwards.
- Sample size to be:
- A minimum sample size of 20 fruit per maturity clearance area.
- Multiple maturity clearance areas are required for orchards greater than five hectares (details below).
- Minimum of 18 out of 20 fruit sampled must be equal to or above 20.8 per cent dry matter.
- Fruit must be independently collected
- Ethylene ripening to be applied to all fruit for early season local market.
Testing costs
For tests that do not meet the requirements for NZ market clearance, the cost will be invoiced to the grower. Eurofins avocado maturity clearance collection and testing costs for 2025 are as follows:
Maturity Clearance Areas
– Maturity areas should be representative in terms of tree age and fruit size of the blocks to be harvested.
– Where there is considerable variation in tree age between blocks these should be defined as separate maturity areas.
– The maturity clearance will only apply to fruit in blocks defined under a particular maturity area.
– There is no maximum size for a single maturity clearance area.
Minimum maturity clearance areas per orchard are as follows:
The orchard can be divided into more maturity clearance areas – the above is the minimum requirement for an orchard.