Brussels, 20/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - The EU agricultural organisations are again adamant that the European Commission must implement its plan for olive oil, including by strengthening marketing standards. They consider that, at present, the qualitative efforts of producers have not been acknowledged.
On the occasion of an event organised at the European Parliament on 18 September by Luis Manuel Santos (S&D, Portugal), the secretary general of COPA-COGECA (EU agricultural cooperatives) again called on the European Commission to take implementation of its action plan forward in order to improve the viability and the competitiveness of the olive oil sector. In his view, despite the difficult market situation, producers and cooperatives have made a major effort and injected considerable investment into improving the quality of olive oil. He added, however, that neither the market nor consumers have acknowledged the effort made.
Under pressure from countries that do not produce olive oil, the Commission renounced, in May this year, the adoption of a provision which makes it an obligation for caterers to use oil bottles with a protective system that prevents them being refilled once empty.
The Commission gives its assurance that work on the quality and control of olive oil in particular is continuing. (LC/transl.jl)