NARDELLA (EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT): URGENT TO REVIVE THE SECTOR STARTING FROM TERRITORIAL IDENTITY
CAVEDAGNA (EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT): EUROPE HAS BEEN A LIMIT — BRUSSELS MUST ACT
LA PIETRA (MASAF UNDERSECRETARY): CONCRETE GOVERNMENT MEASURES TO SUPPORT THE SECTOR
Verona, March 3, 2025. The major uncertainty of Trump’s U.S. administration tariffs also looms over European and Italian olive growing. A 25% duty on Italian olive oil could significantly reduce exports to the United States, making olive oil from emerging nations such as Tunisia and Turkey — which together produced nearly 800,000 tons of oil this year, more than enough to meet U.S. consumption estimated by the IOC at 350,000 tons — even more competitive. It is a critical scenario for the Italian olive oil industry, which exports almost 500,000 tons, 120,000 of which go to the U.S., according to Ismea data. This was highlighted today at SOL2EXPO, during the conference “Italy Calls Europe: National Olive Growing Must Flourish Again.”
However, U.S. trade policy is not the only challenge facing the national olive sector. Beyond Xylella, other phytopathies are threatening Mediterranean olive cultivation, such as root diseases linked to increasingly frequent irrigation needs, posing new technical challenges. Added to this are climate change effects, with frequent droughts causing major fluctuations in production and prices, and impacting consumption habits. Italy, alongside the rest of Europe, is at the forefront of complex dynamics that require coordinated national and EU-level responses.
According to Dario Nardella, member of the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee: “The olive sector represents a fundamental pillar of Italian agriculture — not only a millennia-old tradition but also a crucial opportunity for the productive future of our country. The quality of Italian extra virgin olive oil has been recognized internationally for decades, but much remains to be done to maximize its potential. Today’s challenge is to turn expectations into concrete, urgent actions to relaunch Italian olive growing. We must focus on the sector’s strengths: its deep connection to territorial identity, rich native biodiversity, producers’ expertise in high-quality products, and the environmental and landscape role of olive groves, which enhance both the land and the product.”
Stefano Cavedagna, member of the European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee, added: “Italian olive growing is under attack on multiple fronts: Xylella has decimated groves, temperature changes threaten production quality and quantity, and the European Green Deal hinders agri-food producers with ideological regulations. Europe has so far been a limitation. We need a serious phytosanitary defense plan and protection for our producers from low-cost imports. Defending Italian olive oil means safeguarding quality, Made in Italy, and the work of an entire sector. Brussels must act to protect the olive oil market, including through policies that promote fair pricing. I thank Minister Lollobrigida and the Meloni government for their tireless work on this issue.”
According to Patrizio La Pietra, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests (MASAF) with responsibility for olive growing: “Over the past two years, the Meloni Government has invested more than €11 billion in agriculture. Given the strategic importance of the olive sector, we have introduced concrete support measures, including direct income payments, investments to improve quality and sustainability, and the modernization of olive mills, a program that achieved great success with strong participation from operators and significant PNRR funding. We have also taken steps to protect olive trees of landscape value. A few days ago, we convened a specific task force on Xylella at MASAF, with representatives from the Puglia Region and agricultural associations, attended by Minister Lollobrigida, myself, and the Undersecretaries for Health and Environment, along with the Extraordinary Commissioner for the Water Emergency. This demonstrates the importance the Meloni Government attaches to the olive sector — with Puglia as its beating heart — as shown by the recent €30 million allocation to plant resistant cultivars in Xylella-affected areas and rebuild a severely damaged productive and landscape heritage. The management of Xylella will have a dedicated focus in the National Olive Plan, presented at SOL2EXPO.”