Commission Regulation (EC) No 387/2005 of 8 March 2005 amending (EC) Regulation No 831/97 laying down marketing standards applicable to avocados
Date: 2005-03-08
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: marketing standard, quality standard, tropical fruit

9.3.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 62/5

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 387/2005

of 8 March 2005

amending (EC) Regulation No 831/97 laying down marketing standards applicable to avocados

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 of 28
October 1996 on the common organisation of the market in
fruit and vegetables (1), and in particular Article 2(2) thereof,

(3)

(4)

(5)

Whereas:

Trade in small-sized Hass avocados is growing and meets
the demand of
therefore
certain consumers.
necessary to decrease the minimum size for avocados
of this variety.

is

It

Regulation (EC) No 831/97 should therefore be amended
accordingly.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in
accordance with the opinion of
the Management
Committee for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables,

(1)

(2)

and Quality Development of

The Working Party on Standardisation of Perishable
Produce
the United
Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE)
has recently amended standard FFV-42 concerning the
marketing and commercial quality control of avocados.
For the sake of clarity and international transparency,
account
in
taken of
Commission Regulation (EC) No 831/97 (2).

such amendments

should be

Maturity and development of avocados can be assessed
by their dry matter contents. In order to exclude fruit
unable to ripen, a requirement as to the minimum dry
matter content should be introduced.

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

The Annex to Regulation (EC) No 831/97 is amended in
accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day
following that of its publication in the Official
Journal of the
European Union.

It shall apply from 1 May 2005.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 8 March 2005.

For the Commission

Mariann FISCHER BOEL
Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 297, 21.11.1996, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by
Commission Regulation (EC) No 47/2003 (OJ L 7, 11.1.2003,
p. 64).

(2) OJ L 119, 8.5.1997, p. 13. Regulation as last amended by Regu-

lation (EC) No 907/2004 (OJ L 163, 30.4.2004, p. 50).

L 62/6

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

9.3.2005

ANNEX

The Annex to Regulation (EC) No 831/97 is amended as follows:

1. Title II (Provisions concerning quality) is amended as follows:

(a)

in point A (Minimum requirements), the second subparagraph is replaced by the following:

‘Avocados must be firm and carefully picked.’

(b) the following point Aa is inserted:

‘Aa. Maturity

The development of the avocados should have reached a physiological stage which will ensure a continuation of
the ripening process to completion.

The fruit should have the following minimum dry matter content, to be measured by drying to constant weight:

— 21 % for the variety Hass,

— 20 % for the varieties Fuerte, Pinkerton, Reed and Edranol,

— 19 % for the other varieties except for Antillean varieties that may show a lower dry matter content.

The ripe fruit should be free from bitterness.’

2. Title III (Provisions concerning sizing) is amended as follows:

(a)

in the table of the first subparagraph, the following line is added:

‘80 to 125 (Hass variety only)

S (a)

(a) The difference between the smallest and largest fruit within a package should not exceed 25 g.’

(b) The second subparagraph is replaced by the following:

‘The minimum weight of avocados must not be less than 125 g except for avocados of the Hass variety, which
must not be less than 80 g.’