Completed project
New onion protocols to assure viability of European exports (VN10001)
Publication date: September 24, 2015
Delivery Partner: Field Fresh Tasmania
Australian onion exports to Europe are mostly sent in shipping containers fitted with a fan that circulates fresh air through the onions. Exports to Europe depart Australia from late January to early June, arriving from mid-March to mid-July. Exported onions have to be robust enough to withstand the wide range of climatic conditions that are experienced during these shipping times from monsoonal downpours in the tropics to 45oC heat in the Middle East.
Most shipments to Europe are re-graded by the customer to remove any onions with skin blemishes or rots, requiring onions to be resilient enough to withstand initial grading in Australia, two to three months in the shipping container, then a period of storage in Europe before final grading. Exporters are liable for quality up to this final grading regardless of how onions are stored and handled after arrival.
This project, which ran from 2008 to 2014, set out to simulate industry commercial experiences then assess onions to see how well they withstood them. Researchers investigated new varieties, fertiliser programs and curing practices.
Major findings included…
This project was a strategic levy investment in the Hort Innovation Onion Fund
© 2026 Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited.
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