The Community of Farmers and Ranchers of Almendralejo (Clygal) has urged the central Government to implement "effective" and "urgent" measures to "save" a Spanish olive sector that is "dying," suffocated by "astronomical" production costs and by a price of EVOO "in free fall," which places producers in a situation of "extreme vulnerability."
The collective emphasizes that, although official figures show that the global market —both internal consumption and exports— demands more oil than Spain is capable of generating, the prices at origin "drag a continuous and inexplicable collapse that puts thousands of farming families on the brink of bankruptcy."
According to the Community of Farmers, the official consolidated balance of the 2025-2026 campaign reflects a "deep commercial paradox." Spain closed with a definitive production of 1,298,503 tons, a volume that it considers "totally insufficient" to cover an estimated global demand of 1,500,000 tons —500,000 for internal consumption and 1,000,000 for exports— which generates a "deficit" of over 200,000 tons of Spanish olive oil.
In light of this scenario of unprotection, and through a press release, Clygal demands the "immediate" and "rigorous" application of the Food Chain Law from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, considering it "unacceptable" that farmers are forced to sell their production "below the effective cost of production."
In this line, it calls for a "massive" campaign of ex officio inspections in industries and buying points, as well as a "strong" sanctioning regime that prevents the "weakest" link, the farmer, from financing the margins and commissions of intermediaries.
At the same time, it requests the "immediate" implementation of "mirror clauses" to ensure the principle of reciprocity, so that not "a single kilo of foreign oil" can enter Spain that does not comply exactly with the same rules of the game as ours.
Clygal maintains that the measure announced by the Government of Spain to withdraw part of the production in the event of a large harvest "is not a solution," but rather "is a patch to maintain the entry of oil from third countries."
Finally, it concludes that the "real" solution should not involve limiting the kilos of the Spanish farmer, but rather strengthening control at borders, demanding a "transparent" labeling that indicates the "exact" percentage of origin blends, and firmly defending the value of traditional olive groves, which it defines as "the true economic, social, and environmental engine of the towns".