Quality Project

Operational Programmes of POs in the olive sector

Reference legislation

  • Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 December 2021
  • Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/126 of 7 December 2021
  • National Strategic Plan for the implementation of the CAP 2023-27 (PSP)
  • MASAF Ministerial Decree no. 413214 of 08.08.2023 "National provisions on the operational programmes of POs and APOs in the olive oil and table olives sector"

Following the latest reform of the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) adopted with Reg. (EU) No. 2115/2021, important new elements have been introduced regarding the support scheme that the European Union reserves for the olive oil and table olives sector. The reform first of all confirmed the central role that Producer Organizations (OP) play as tools for regulating markets and stabilizing producers’ incomes. The priority objectives that POs must pursue are the concentration of supply and joint marketing because, by acting in this way, the fragmentation of supply is overcome and the negotiating power of farmers within the supply chain is strengthened.

In order to promote the aggregation of production, the European Union as of 01.01.2023 has established a support scheme through the financing of POs’ operational programmes, i.e. multi-year programming tools through which to plan the implementation of investments and activities aimed at improving the quality of production and the adoption of increasingly sustainable agronomic practices and production processes,  to contribute to the protection of the environment and the health of consumers and citizens.

The financial aid that the European Union reserves for the operational programmes of Italian POs amounts to 34.59 million euros for each year of implementation. For the financing of project activities, POs can also benefit from additional national funding and thus contribute to the project costs for the residual portion not covered by EU and national funding.

The operational programme is a “virtuous” type of support as EU resources are distributed among the Italian POs in proportion to the marketing activity that they carry out annually: this favours aggregation and encourages POs to grow on the markets with products of proven quality to better meet the demands of end consumers.

The Oleificio Sociale di Canino has obtained the approval of a first three-year project 2023/2025 through which some project objectives have been set that are intended to be achieved over the three-year period with the aim of modernizing the extraction processes, aiming at energy saving, the enhancement of by-products and increasing environmental sustainability to better qualify the extra virgin olive oil obtained from the processing of the product conferred by the members. The planned activities respond to the following priority objectives:

PLANNING AND ORGANIZATION OF PRODUCTION, ADAPTATION OF PRODUCTION TO DEMAND
As part of this objective, the new CAP, through the operational programmes of the POs, supports the implementation of investments at the level of the agricultural phase, with the collective purchase of equipment, aimed at improving the agronomic management of the crop by acting on the correct and timely management of the plant canopy and harvesting activities with an overall view of improving the final quality of the product, optimization of production costs and greater safety in the workplace. The investments are accompanied by the technical assistance service to carry out more efficiently all the phases related to the management and processing of the product in the path that, from the delivery of the olives, leads to the final packaging and marketing of the extra virgin olive oil.
CONCENTRATION OF THE SUPPLY AND MARKETING OF PRODUCTS, INCLUDING THROUGH DIRECT MARKETING
The concentration of production for the purpose of joint marketing is the main activity that olive POs must pursue: to achieve this goal, it is necessary to have efficient processing plants, sufficiently sized to guarantee processing and milling in a short time before delivery. With this aim, the operational program intervenes by supporting investments aimed at optimizing the transformation, milling and packaging process with a view to progressive optimization of production costs, energy savings, improvement of product quality and marketing conditions. The program also supports the activation of effective information to consumers about the high quality levels of the extra virgin olive oil produced, the link with the territory, the cultivation techniques with low environmental impact adopted by producers to obtain a genuine final product with high standards of guarantee for producers.
IMPROVING COMPETITIVENESS IN THE MEDIUM AND LONG TERM, IN PARTICULAR THROUGH MODERNISATION
The improvement of competitiveness also passes through circular economy initiatives and reduction of energy costs in line with the guidelines dictated by the European Green Deal for a green transition with the ultimate goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050: the interventions that the operational program intends to pursue in this objective are therefore aimed at the recovery of by-products that remain from the processing of olives starting from the pit for its use as a domestic fuel as well as to increase energy autonomy with investments in renewable energy sources.
PROMOTION OF ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PRODUCTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES
Sustainable management of olive groves contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, in line with the "green" direction of EU policies which, in the light of the recent "From Farm to Fork" strategy, are increasingly demanding on environmental issues. The operational program intervenes in this area by promoting the adoption of agronomic practices that are increasingly respectful of ecosystems, with the aim of safeguarding biodiversity with investments in farms aimed at eco-compatible management of olive groves by significantly reducing the contributions of mineral fertilizers and pesticides with particular regard to those used for the control of the oil fly, still the main adversity for quality olive growing.
INCREASE IN COMMERCIAL VALUE AND PRODUCT QUALITY
The concept of "food quality" encompasses several components: organoleptic (flavor, texture, visual appearance), nutritional (composition and energy value), commercial (price and profit), technological (aptitude for processing) and hygienic-sanitary (healthiness). Of these different meanings, healthiness identifies the microbiological stability of an olive oil in terms of the absence of pollutants or contamination which requires a punctual and careful control of the critical points during the production, transformation and packaging phase. To intervene effectively in this area, the operational program supports capillary monitoring/analysis plans to exclude the presence of residues in the olives contributed by the members and in the extra virgin olive oil placed on the market with a view to improving the overall quality of the product and protecting and safeguarding the health of consumers.
PROMOTION AND MARKETING OF PRODUCTS
Promotion and communication aim to increase the competitiveness and consumption of olive-oil products, also enhancing the cultural aspect and the link with the territory in order to increase consumer awareness with respect to the product purchased, the nutritional characteristics, the origin and traceability and sustainability. To this end, the operational program provides for wide-ranging interventions to communicate the high quality standards of extra virgin olive oil, the result of an overall quality policy that goes from the management of olive groves in the countryside, to the delivery, processing and packaging of the product up to the final sale to the consumer.