News Briefs / page 2
Jan. 5, 2026
EU Delays Mercosur Trade Deal After Italy and France Withhold Support
The European Union has postponed signing its Mercosur free trade agreement after Italy and France declined to back the deal, citing concerns from domestic farmers.
Jan. 5, 2026
Early Data Points to Weaker Olive Oil Production Across Andalusia
Farmers across Andalusia are reporting lower olive harvests and weaker oil yields early in the 2025/26 season, raising fresh doubts about Spain’s production outlook.
Jan. 5, 2026
Europe’s Olive Oil Sector Poised for Recovery Despite Climate and Market Pressures
The European Union’s latest Agricultural Outlook projects a recovery in olive oil production driven by higher yields and orchard modernization, even as climate stress and declining consumption pose long-term challenges.
Dec. 29, 2025 News Briefs
Dec. 29, 2025 News Briefs
High-Density Olive Groves Shown to Capture More Carbon Than Traditional Plantings
Dec. 26, 2025 News Briefs
Cobram Estate to Acquire California Olive Ranch in $173.5 Million Deal
Dec. 19, 2025 News Briefs
Heat, Drought and Rising Costs Drive Down Portugal’s Olive Harvest
Dec. 19, 2025 News Briefs
Greek Farmers Block Roads Over Delayed Subsidies and Low Olive Oil Prices
Dec. 18, 2025
Hiroshima Receives Olive Tree from Italy as Symbol of Peace on 80th Anniversary
An olive tree donated by Italy’s Città dell’Olio was planted in Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park, renewing a decades-long commitment to peace and solidarity between the two countries.
Dec. 18, 2025
World Nears 1.5°C Threshold as Three-Year Heat Streak Confirms Climate Shift
New data from Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service show global temperatures over the past three years have exceeded the 1.5°C threshold, underscoring that record heat is no longer a short-term anomaly.
Dec. 18, 2025
France Casts Doubt on E.U.-Mercosur Trade Deal as Farmers Push Back
France has called the E.U.-Mercosur trade agreement “incomplete,” raising new doubts about the long-negotiated deal as farmers across Europe warn of unfair competition from South America.
Dec. 15, 2025
Italy’s National Cuisine Inscribed on UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List
Italy has become the first country to have its entire national cuisine recognized by UNESCO, highlighting Italian cooking as a living heritage rooted in sustainability, diversity and shared traditions.
Dec. 15, 2025
Researchers Detect Microplastics in Italian Olive Oils Using New Imaging Technique
A new study published in Food Chemistry found microplastics in Italian extra virgin olive oils, highlighting differences linked to supply chain length and production practices.
Dec. 8, 2025
Extreme Weather Ravages Olive Groves Across Greece, Undermining 2025 Output
Hailstorms of unusual intensity have devastated olive farms across Greece, leaving producers facing severe losses in a year already marked by climate and pest pressures.
Dec. 8, 2025
Italy Warns of Rising Fraud and Violence Amid High Olive Oil Prices
Italian authorities seized more than 14,000 liters of untraced extra virgin olive oil in Puglia and reported armed thefts of additional shipments, underscoring a spike in fraud and criminal activity fueled by high market prices.
Dec. 4, 2025
Study Links €1.1 B in Losses to Tasting-Panel Variability in Spain
Researchers say tasting-panel variability continues to undermine Spain’s olive oil sector, with misclassifications costing growers more than €1.1 billion in ten years.
Dec. 4, 2025
Traditional Growers Unite to Defend Spain’s Historic Olive Groves
Three dozen cooperatives representing 15,000 farmers have launched the Traditional Olive Grove Association, aiming to defend Spain’s historic olive-growing landscapes amid rising pressure from industrial groves.
Dec. 1, 2025
COP30 Ends Without Fossil Fuel Phase-Out as Global Divide Widens
COP30 concluded in Brazil’s Amazon without a commitment to phase out fossil fuels, exposing a widening global divide as more than 80 nations pushed for a roadmap that oil-producing states firmly rejected.
Dec. 1, 2025
Spanish Farmers Urge Halt to Tunisian Olive Oil Imports Amid Traceability Concerns
Spain’s COAG farmers’ union is urging an immediate suspension of Tunisian olive oil imports, warning that large untraced volumes are entering the EU market and distorting prices.
Nov. 26, 2025
Global Olive Oil Production Hits Record 3.5 Million Tons
A new report forecasts global olive oil production at a record 3.507 million tons for 2024/25, driven by strong recovery in Spain and rising output in non-EU countries.
Nov. 26, 2025
Spain Asks U.S. to Remove Olive Oil Tariffs
Spain’s economy minister has asked the U.S. to exempt olive oil from its new 15 percent tariff, warning that the measure risks deepening pressures on producers and distorting the world’s second-largest olive oil market.
Nov. 21, 2025
Revisions Advance for U.S. Olive Oil Promotion Cooperative Plan
A revised plan for a U.S. olive oil promotion cooperative is moving forward as USDA asks for clearer mechanisms to support domestic producers and streamline administration.
Nov. 21, 2025
Somontano Secures PDO Status, Boosting Traditional Producers in Aragón
Producers in Aragón are celebrating the new PDO for Aceite del Somontano, which protects native olive varieties and centuries-old terraced groves shaped by the Pyrenees.