Italy saw a 57 percent drop in olive harvest as a result of extreme weather events which could leave the country dependent on imports by April, according to the director of the Euro-Mediterranean Center for Climate Change, reports The Guardian. In the past 18 months, Italy has experienced summer droughts, autumn floods, and spring ice waves, which weakened olive trees, leaving them vulnerable to outbreaks of bacteria and infestations.
The Coldiretti farmers' union estimates the cost of the olive oil collapse this year has already reached $1.1 billion. "The government promised a solution but it has not given any more resources for the olive farmers," says a Coldiretti spokesman, adding there was "no plan for [addressing] climate change and olive oil production."
In addition, Greek farmers were devastated by extreme drought and then heavy rains, which acted as a "trigger event" for olive fly infestations. The chair of the Copa Cogeca farming union's olive working group worries the quality of Greek olive oil will suffer, as it is not certain that it will be able to produce oil classified as extra virgin. Full Story
Related: Climate Disrupts Olive Oil Supply; Ahold Delhaize Helps to Fight Climate Change.
from Specialty Food News https://ift.tt/2UmJZoT
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