Brussels, 26/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - A new agreement on olive oil and table olives, replacing the one dating from 2005, will be officially concluded in October on the basis of a draft text which the International Olive Council agreed at an extraordinary meeting in Madrid. In this agreement, considerable weight will be accorded to consumer countries.
The members of the International Olive Council (IOC), meeting in extraordinary session in Madrid from 14-19 June reached agreement on a draft text which will serve as the basis for talks that will take place in Geneva from 5 to 9 October under the aegis of UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) on a new international agreement on olive oil and table olives (the sixth in 60 years), to replace the one from 2005. On the basis of these discussions, considered a success by the European Union, which will continue to chair the IOC until 30 April 2016, major changes will be forthcoming, including on opening up to consumer countries, such as the United States, Brazil, China and Japan, and on a new decision-making process in determining international quality standards for olive oil and table olives.
In Madrid, the IOC also decided that the upper limit for ethyl esters should be kept at 35mg/kg for the 2015-2016 marketing year, while awaiting re-assessment of the decision in June 2016. The committee also decided to convene a working group this autumn to organise an international IOC seminar on Xylella fastidiosa in 2016. However, publication of the findings of an international study into the production costs of olive oil was postponed so that the figures could be reviewed one last time. (Lionel Changeur)