The Spanish asso­ci­a­tion of small farm­ers UPA asked for an in-depth inves­ti­ga­tion of the largest olive oil pack­ag­ing com­pa­nies and the chal­lenges for tra­di­tional olive grow­ers.

During ongo­ing dis­cus­sions with the Ministry of Agriculture in Spain, the farm­ers’ rep­re­sen­ta­tives blamed bad actors for dri­ving olive oil prices down­ward, the UPA said, and those who might report ille­gal prac­tices need pro­tec­tions.

In his speech, UPA head Lorenzo Ramos argued that the deep­en­ing cri­sis fac­ing tra­di­tional farms is con­nected to vio­la­tions of exist­ing agri­cul­tural leg­is­la­tion.

The UPA sug­gested that some indus­try stake­hold­ers do not speak up because they fear a loss of their own busi­nesses, ​“so the Ministry should set up some form of pro­tec­tion to avoid any pos­si­ble retal­i­a­tion against those who decide to report” ille­gal prac­tices, Ramos said.

The UPA pointed to the lat­est fig­ures includ­ing the 56 per­cent increase in olive oil imports and reduc­tions in stock and pro­duc­tion — trends that should push prices higher even as they con­tinue to fall.

“Data say it all,” said Ramos. ​“There is no need for fur­ther proof to see that some are spec­u­lat­ing on the backs of the olive grow­ers. There is a seri­ous dis­tur­bance on the mar­ket, both on the national level and in export oper­a­tions.”

The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture has ded­i­cated the cur­rent week to intro­duce a series of meet­ings with all the major play­ers in the olive oil indus­try. As already reported by Olive Oil Times, sev­eral indus­try experts have observed anom­alies on the mar­ket of the major European olive oil pro­ducer.

• UPA Statement


• Lorenzo Ramos speech (YouTube)