Last year’s record-breaking European heatwaves – which the European Drought Observatory described as the worst in at least 500 years – had already compromised olive crops across the continent.
In Spain, for example, some regions were forced to impose restrictions on water use for agriculture and industries as well as for the irrigation of public gardens and swimming pool refilling amid the driest April in the country’s history. Extreme temperatures also led to a surge of olive oil prices of about 60% since last June. Last year’s record-breaking European heatwaves – which the European Drought Observatory described as the worst in at least 500 years – had already compromised olive crops across the continent. Spain, Europe’s largest producer, was among the hardest-hit countries and saw annual supplies drop by half to about 780,000 tonnes in the past 12 months.