The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development, through the Territorial Delegation of Córdoba, in collaboration with the Civil Guard of Córdoba and the agri-food cooperatives of the province, has delivered a total of 615 liters of extra virgin olive oil from stolen and confiscated olives to the ‘Medina Azahara’ Food Bank Association in the city.
Within the framework of last year’s olive harvesting campaign (2023-2024) and thanks to the collaboration of the Civil Guard, a total of 8,330 kilos of olives have been intervened and deposited in the province. Thus, through nine oil mills in the province and thanks to the collaboration of Agri-food Cooperatives of Andalusia, this extra virgin olive oil has been obtained and subsequently delivered to the Food Bank.
Through controls along with quality inspections, a total of 70 sanctioning proceedings have been initiated in the same campaign by the territorial delegation, either for presenting an incorrect Document of Accompaniment to Transport (DAT), for the absence of DAT, or for the absence of a proper registration in the Registry of Agricultural and Forestry Holdings of Andalusia (REAFA). The amounts of the sanctions range from 500 to 15,000 euros.
«This is a pioneering initiative coordinated with other entities as a result of the exhaustive control carried out by the regional administration in rural areas. It is a joint effort for the benefit of farmers in which, in addition to inspections, training activities for farmers and cooperative members are carried out,» explained the territorial delegate in Córdoba, Francisco Acosta.
Furthermore, this collaboration is a very important tool to combat the scourge of thefts in agricultural holdings in the province, and in the field of corporate social responsibility, it helps the most vulnerable and needy individuals.
The cooperative societies that have collaborated in this initiative are those of Virgen de la Estrella in the town of Villa del Río, Nuestra Señora de la Merced in Montoro, Cooperative Agrícola La Unión in Montilla, Nuestra Señora de Araceli in Lucena, Cooperative Pontananse in Puente Genil, Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados in Puente Genil, the one in Cabra, the one in Lucena, and the Cooperative of San José in Los Llanos de Don Juan, also in Lucena.
Defense of Differentiated Quality
On the other hand, within the framework of defending differentiated quality, the Ministry of Agriculture also collaborates with the armed institute and Origen España to identify products with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) or Protected Geographical Indication (PGI).
To this end, dissemination, collaboration, training, and research activities are carried out that have led to legal action in cases of food fraud and crimes against industrial property.
Annually, coordination meetings are held between the Civil Guard and the Territorial Delegation of Córdoba, where investigations are planned to defend the industrial property belonging to the Cordovan PDOs, as well as the planning of agricultural campaigns.