The avocado industry is looking to ship its fruit much further afield with a new technology that prevents it from ripening in transit.

The new technology could open the export market to Europe for the first time and is an attempt to reduce the industry’s reliance on its main export market, Australia.

Avocado Industry Council chief executive Jen Scoular says a trial shipment to France has been successful.

“We haven’t previously been able to ship to Europe because the journey time of four weeks is just too long for an avocado, but this new technology, Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere, effectively hibernates the avocado during its journey, so that we can have really good quality avocados arriving in the European market”, she says.

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A trellis of wooden posts, wire and irrigation system popped up alongside a chain link fence on the side of Grangetto’s Farm and Garden Supply in Escondido about two years ago. Nothing much happened with it until recently. The 30 Cabernet Sauvignon grape vines planted along the trellis still need another year to mature, but they’re catching everyone’s eyes – particularly avocado growers.