Australia's peak farm body has thrown its weight behind an aspirational economy-wide target of net carbon zero emissions by 2050. National Farmers' Federation (NFF) members voted in favour of the landmark policy, which includes strict caveats regarding fair implementation and economic viability.

Four out of five Australians back a proposal to use practical environmental projects as an economic stimulus, as the nation recovers from COVID-19. The survey results come as agricultural and environmental groups around the country lobby the government to include funding for a land management and conversation jobs stimulus package in the October budget. 

Australian distiller Four Pillars has added a savoury gin to its range, which has been infused with olive leaf and oil. The new Four Pillars Olive Leaf Gin is inspired by the olives groves of Victoria in Australia. 

Govt urged to act as thousands of seasonal workers leave each week 

Up to a thousand working holiday makers are leaving the country every week, leaving the ag sector and the government scrabbling to come up with a solution to fill the upcoming labour shortfall. A federal government inquiry into the Working Holiday Maker program was urged to act swiftly to avoid a "bureaucratically man-made disaster" that could decimate the horticulture industry.

Are you an Australian Olive Association member? Thank you! Membership of the AOA helps to financially support and empower the AOA to represent your interests and to help build a sustainable and profitable future for our industry.

We appreciate your ongoing support and look forward to hearing from you in 2020/21. Can we please ask that if you haven’t yet paid your membership invoice you do so as soon as possible. And if you haven’t received it (20/21 invoices were emailed on 1 July 2020), please check your SPAM folders and then email Liz at secretariat@australianolives.com.au if it’s not there.

Here is a reminder of some of the many activities the AOA is able to achieve for the olive industry with your membership contribution:

Your membership contribution also provides many direct benefits and major competitive advantages:

Not a member? Help us help you. New members receive a FREE copy of the Olive Growing Book, valued at $165. Click here for more details on the benefits of becoming a member and to sign up today.

Interest rates for Regional Investment Corporation farm sector-related loans will drop to 1.92 per cent next month, but interest-free drought loans will stop being offered after September. 

The Olive Wellness Institute understands the hard work and dedication of students, researchers, academics and scientists involved in olive science and research around the world. So they’ve created the Olive Wellness Achievement Award as an opportunity to recognise and celebrate olive science-related research achievements, and to thank those involved for their contribution to that research.

The Award will be awarded to someone who has contributed most to olive science or olive related research in the past 5–10 years. The winner will receive an Olive Wellness Institute Achievement Award certificate and a $500 Booktopia voucher.

Applications close on 16 October, with the 2020 winner announced by 9 November. 

More information and application forms here.

The International Freight Assistance Mechanism (IFAM) is supporting new flights on the following routes:

Eligibility for products supported by IFAM is now determined by a set of principles, including: Australian-made or produced; high value; time-sensitive/perishable; limited shelf life.

View the current IFAM flight schedule and associated information, and submit an EOI to access flights, here.

In addition to IFAM flights, alternative air freight options include domestic network flights, international repatriation flights and international commercial freight only flights. More information here.

A recording of the recent seasonal climate webinar by Agriculture Victoria's seasonal risk agronomist Dale Grey is now available. The webinar was held on Wednesday, 12 August, with Grey providing updated information on current climatic and soil moisture conditions, as well as oceanic and atmospheric conditions affecting south eastern Australia and the latest predictions for the coming months.

The recording length is approximately 60 minutes – watch it here.

LAST TWO WEEKS UNTIL ENTRIES CLOSE - don’t wait, send your entries NOW for the Australian International Olive Awards or you’ll be too late to win!

There are just two weeks to go until entries close for the 2020 Australian International Olive Awards (AIOA), so if you haven’t entered yet – get moving! 

This year’s judging is being undertaken internationally by panels across the globe, providing an unprecedented opportunity for recognition and the marketing benefits that follow:

Entries close: 4 September 2020 at 5pm CST 

Winners announced: 5 October 2020 via email; online Awards Presentation event in mid-October as part of the AOA 2020 Virtual Conference.

Full competition details and entry forms are available on the AIOA

website: www.internationaloliveawardsaustralia.com.au.

*Don’t forget that AOA members pay heavily discounted AIOA entry prices, so check your 20/21 membership invoice has been received and paid before submitting your entries. If in doubt, contact Liz Bouzoudis on 0478 606 145 or secretariat@australianolives.com.au.

DON’T MISS OUT – SEND YOUR ENTRIES TODAY 

The AOA is presenting the next in its 2020 productivity and profitability webinar series, with South African expert Linda Costa follow up on her outstanding national table olive workshop tour held earlier this year.

The interactive webinar will: 

concluding with a general Q&A session.

Linda is keen to hear about the current season experiences of producers (good and not so good) and will respond to live questions during the event:

Tuesday, 25 August at 3pm AEST via Zoom. 

Registration is free, and close on 24 August at 3pm AEST – register here.

Time is ticking away and, with reports all pointing to a stunning year for New Zealand EVOO, entering your oils in the 2020 New Zealand Extra Virgin Olive Oil Awards are a ‘must do’ for all producers.

Key dates are:

An information pack with entry forms has been sent to all members and full information is also available on the website here.

The next round of Olives NZ Focus Grove Field days has been announced and is set to be an eye-opener given the disappointing harvest reported by many growers. ONZ EO Gayle Sheridan said the aim of the new project is to increase production by a further 5kg per tree – on top of the remarkable 30kg+ per tree already achieved by the project’s top-performing groves – so it will be interesting to see how the Focus Groves have compared to those following standard practices this year.

The dates for the Field Days in October are:

1 October - Northland (subject to flights into/out of Auckland)

2 October - Hawke’s Bay

6 October - Nelson

7 October - Canterbury

9 October - Wairarapa

More detail on start times and locations will be provided in coming weeks.

*Note: For producers further afield, we’ll report on the October Field Days, including crop results and grove management discussions, in the December edition of Olivegrower & Processor.

Martinborough producers Lot 8 have done the New Zealand industry proud, taking out three top awards at the Paris 2020 Olio Nuovo Southern Hemisphere Competition:

Owners Colin and Nalini Baruch say they are “proud to take New Zealand to the world”.

The European Commission is adopting new measures to combat one of the world’s most dangerous plant bacteria: Xylella fastidiosa. Within the EU, notorious olive blight Xylella fastidiosa has the potential to cause an annual production loss of €5.5b per year.

A team in Andalusia is testing a hedge cultivation system that could be more profitable for growers and sustainable for the environment.

Israeli archaeologists have discovered a 1,200-year-old olive oil-soap making workshop in southern Israel, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said Sunday. This is the most ancient soap workshop found in Israel, exposed at an excavation site inside a wealthy home of the Islamic period in the Bedouin city of Rahat.

The move comes after a previous effort to provide extra virgin olive oil to families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic sparked controversy, with farmers asserting that the effort favored imported oils over Italian ones.

19-Aug-2020 By Katy Askew

Sustainability sells. This has given rise to scepticism among consumers that brands are ‘greenwashing’ their environmental claims. Radical transparency could be the cure.

25-Jun-2020 By Flora Southey

Fairfood is on a mission to ‘uncover the human fingerprint in food’. And the Dutch not-for-profit’s recently launched Trace platform is doing just that, by ‘powering sustainable sourcing’, raising consumer awareness, and sharing added value with the people ‘behind the food’.

With 2020 now well underway, Friday Olive Extracts (FOE) continues to bring all the latest industry news and events to your Inbox every week. THE place to share olive industry news, event details and reminders, our industry e-newsletter keeps growing in popularity and we now have nearly 4000 subscribers across the globe. If you’re not one of them, you can sign up here.

And please remember that FOE is YOUR e-newsletter, so we’re keen to receive your news and help spread the word. Just email your information to Editor Gerri Nelligan at editor@olivegrower.com.au - it’s free, and the best way to reach your fellow industry members!

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has modified its $7.5‑billion list of agricultural and industrial goods targeted by tariffs, which include olive oil from Spain and table olives from France and Spain.

Funding to the European Union’s agricultural sector is set to be cut by 10 percent in the next seven years, if the European Parliament ratifies the budgetary agreement recently reached by member states.

Entries open, 2020 WA Olive Awards – Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition

25 August 

AOA Table Olives Webinar with Linda Costa - Online 

Results announced, Golden Olive Awards – Vic, Australia

World Team Tasting Championship

Entries close, 2020 Australian International Olive Awards

Organic Regenerative Conference 2020 – Wellington, NZ

Entries close, 2020 Hunter Olive Show – Hunter Valley, NSW

Entries close, 2020 NZ EVOO Awards – Wellington, NZ

Entries close, 2020 WA Olive Awards – Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition

Olives NZ Focus Grove Field Day – Northland 

Olives NZ Focus Grove Field Day – Hawke’s Bay

Results emailed to entrants, 2020 Australian International Olive Awards

Olives NZ Focus Grove Field Day – Nelson 

7 October 

Olives NZ Focus Grove Field Day – Canterbury 

9 October 

Olives NZ Focus Grove Field Day – Wairarapa 

Olives NZ 2020 Conference – Wellington, NZ

2020 NZ EVOO Awards – Wellington, NZ

Awards Dinner, 2020 NZ EVOO Awards – Wellington, NZ

Applications close, Olive Wellness Achievement Award  

Results emailed to entrants, 2020 WA Olive Awards – Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition

Awards Presentation, 2020 Hunter Olive Show – Hunter Valley, NSW

Soil CRC Participants Conference

Hort Connections 2021 – Brisbane, Qld

AOA National Olive Conference & Trade Exhibition – Devonport, TAS

To include your event, or update your existing event details, email FOE editor Gerri Nelligan at editor@olivegrower.com.au

Friday Olive Extracts Editorial editor@olivegrower.com.au

Advertising: editor@olivegrower.com.au

Subscribe to Olivegrower & Processor magazine secretariat@australianolives.com.au