Brussels, 21/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - The European Union management committee gave its approval on Wednesday 16 May for the opening of further private storage aid for olive oil. The measure is for a maximum overall volume of 100,000 tonnes of virgin and extra virgin olive oil for up to 180 days. The aid will be available for olive oil in all EU producer countries (Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Malta, Portugal and Slovenia) and will be managed on a tendering basis. For the first adjudication will be on 7 June, offers must be submitted from 31 May 2012 to 5 June 2012. The second tender sub-period will begin on the first working day following the end of the preceding sub-period and will end on 19 June 2012, with the adjudication taking place on 21 June.
The last olive oil private storage aid operation came in February and March of this year and saw a volume of 100,000 tonnes, all from Spain, accepted at the first adjudication on February 27.
In a press release, Copa (Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations in the EU) and Cogeca (General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives in the EU) welcomed Commission decision to open private storage aid for olive oil. Copa-Cogeca Secretary General Pekka Pesonen said that “the market is in serious crisis. Producers are being squeezed by low prices and high production costs. This situation is unbearable for producers who have seen their income deteriorate constantly over the past six years”. Rafael Sanchez de Puerta, Chairman of the Copa-Cogeca olive oil working party welcomed the Commissions' announcement that it is to release an action plan for the sector. This plan “must include structural measures to help concentrate supply and strengthen farmers positioning in the food chain. One way of achieving this is by further developing producer organisations, like cooperatives” he said. Copa-Cogeca also supports boosting promotion measures to help consolidate the EU olive oil share on non-EU markets where demand is increasing, especially in emerging economies. To prevent such serious market disturbances from happening again, “it is also important that the action plan includes more efficient tools to better manage and regulate the market”, it says. (LC/transl.rt)