Olive Oil News
The law firm that lobbies congress for Google, American Express and Dow Chemical has added another client; a group called the Alliance for Olive Oil Quality Standards. The new group is made up of olive oil importers who oppose a move by California olive oil producers to pass a federal marketing order and impose stricter guidelines on imported olive oils. The importers hope, as one put it, “to create a quiet groundswell against this effort by the domestic industry.”
Read MoreIn the fashion business, there are companies that sell rank counterfeits as “Made in Italy.” Appparently in olive oil too: 8000 tons were recently seized from the Azienda Olearia Valpesana, an important bulk olive oil business.
Read MoreA group of five men were arrested for allegedly cutting down 115 olive trees in the Koura village of Harisha, (Lebanon) which they planned to sell as wood. The village’s custodian, Aziz Alawa, first noticed from a hill in Anefh village that trees in an olive grove had been cut down. He informed the owners of the grove and the police, who launched a stakeout for the criminals in mid-August. On Monday, police saw the group coming back to finish what they had begun.
Read MoreAt a time of increasing settler violence in the West Bank, the International Solidarity Movement is issuing an urgent call for volunteers to participate in the 2012 Olive Harvest Campaign at the invitation of Palestinian communities. The olive tree is a national symbol for Palestinians. As thousands of olive trees have been bulldozed, uprooted and burned by Israeli settlers and the military – over half a million olive and fruit trees have been destroyed since September 2000 – harvesting has become more than a source of livelihood; it has become a form of resistance.
Read MoreIn the foothills of Sierra Nevada Natural Park in Andalucia a rather special olive oil has recently gone into production. Benizalte organic extra-virgin olive oil, now being distributed in the UK exclusively by Alma Organics, has been created by a group of determined small-holders passionate about their craft and keen to find a new way of producing a high-quality oil while preserving centuries’ old methods of cultivation, and offering a fair price to the farmers concerned. The oil is being processed via cold extraction in the small organic mill of La Flor de Alpujarra in the market town of Orgiva, Granada. What makes this venture so unusual is that the farmers themselves own the mill as a co-operative.
Read MoreBulk prices for extra virgin olive oil have shot up 57 cents in Spain amid gloomy harvest forecasts for the next season, which starts in a month. In May olive oil prices were at their lowest since 2009, according to the International Olive Council, with EVOO down to €1.77 ($2.22) a kilo. But Spain’s olive oil price information system POOLred shows that since July there’s been a strong recovery.
Read MoreSome of Australia’s best-known olive oil producers have revealed that pressures from the high Australian dollar, adverse weather conditions and aggressive pricing of major marketers, are all impacting on their profitability. Western Australia’s Frankland River Olive Company has said in its latest report to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) that domestic packaged sales in the June 2012 quarter were less than the previous year. “This is a result of aggressive pricing from some of the major marketers of Australian extra virgin olive, as well as imports of extra virgin olive oil benefiting from the high Australian dollar,” the company said. Red Island said its olive harvest was lower than in previous years, the second disappointing season in row for the industry.
Read MoreOn 18 July ABC TV’s 7:30 Report aired a story with allegations made against fertiliser manufacturer NutriTech Solutions (NTS). Two products NTS Fulvic 1400 and Nutri-Care were alleged to have contained synthetic nitrates and presence of benzene respectively, both not permitted in organic production standards. Auditing and testing of products have been carried out on NTS and on 8 August Australian Certified Organic (ACO) released an industry notice outlining results of investigations in relation to the allegations. Read it http://www.bfa.com.au/IndustryResources/BFAPublications/OrganicAdvantage/OrganicAdvantageArchives2012/mid/777/newsid777/202.aspx.
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