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mimizorro Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Growing demand for olive oil is leading to > concerns over drought in parts of Europe, a report > warns. > > By Chris Irvine > Published: 5:16PM BST 25 Aug 2008 > > Parts of Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal are > turning into deserts and suffering water shortages > because of the intense olive farming that has > developed in the area, according to The Ecologist > magazine. > > The magazine says trees are densely packed, > planted in massive irrigated lowland plains and > harvested by machines that shake the trunks, which > uses more water and chemicals than traditional > farms on upland terraces. > > It says: "To meet this new appetite mass-market > brands are produced intensively, so supermarkets > can sell it in high volumes at lower prices. > > "Demand for cheap, mass-produced oil is making it > a struggle for the smaller, traditional farms to > be economically viable." > > Between 2000 and 2005, UK olive oil sales have > risen by 39 per cent and more money is spent on it > than all other cooking oils. > > A World Wildlife Fund report from 2001 said the > more intensive plantations are of "little or no > conservation value, and create environmental > problems - desertification, pollution from > agrichemicals, depletion of water resources." > > Guy Beaufoy, a consultant on agricultural and > environmental policies in Europe said the > situation was "an environmental catastrophe". > > He claimed despite Spain suffering its fourth > consecutive year of drought, more than 80 per cent > of the country's water is devoted to irrigated > crops. > > He said: "Water shortage is a huge issue in Spain, > yet the country is expanding irrigation where it > can because irrigation transforms production. > > "People are drilling water resources not touched > for thousands of years - all for a few more > olives." > > An EU study on the industry added: "Soil erosion > is probably the most serious environmental problem > associated with olive farming. > > "Inappropriate weed-control and soil control, > combined with the inherently high risk of erosion > in many olive-farming areas, is leading to > desertification on a wide scale in some of the > main producing regions." > > The growth in the olive industry - about 2.5 > million producers now make up roughly a third of > all EU farmers - has been encouraged by the EU's > Common Agricultural Policy, which until 2007 > encouraged industrial farms to produce more > olives, the Ecologist report said.