Spain’s olive sector challenges rising Tunisian oil imports and uneven EU controls

Imports rise in the world’s largest producing country

Tunisian olive oil is gaining ground in Spain, prompting domestic growers to question whether imports from outside the European Union face sufficient scrutiny. La Gaceta reports that Tunisia has increased its olive oil exports to Spain by 85% since 2016, even though Spain remains the world’s largest producer and has more than 2.7 million hectares of olive groves.

The increase connects two large Mediterranean industries with different cost and regulatory conditions. Tunisia cultivates 1.82 million hectares of olive trees, ranks as the world’s fourth-largest producer and is the leading exporter outside the EU. European funding has helped modernize Tunisian facilities since 2013, including investments in digital systems and production processes.

Spanish growers represented by the agricultural organization COAG argue that this support has expanded competing capacity without equivalent measures to protect EU producers. Paco Elvira, a grower from Jaén and COAG’s olive-sector representative, says Spanish farms must comply with extensive traceability, mill inspections, restrictions on certain crop-protection products and other regulatory requirements.

Bulk shipments supply Spanish and Italian processors

Tunisia produced between 400,000 and 500,000 tonnes of olive oil in the 2025-2026 season, according to figures cited by La Gaceta. Its exports increased by 63.9% and generated more than €1.1 billion. About 87.5% of the oil was marketed in bulk, allowing large Spanish and Italian companies to use it as raw material for processing, blending and subsequent sale under their own brands.

That flow gives processors access to lower-cost supplies but increases competitive pressure on Spanish growers. In the case described by the publication, production costs reached €3.80 per kilogram of oil. Producers warn that tightening margins are contributing to the abandonment of some groves in Andalusia and Extremadura, regions where thousands of family farms depend on the crop.

Tunisian oil can enter the EU through several customs arrangements. An annual duty-free quota covers 56,700 tonnes. In addition, inward processing rules allow more than 100,000 tonnes a year to enter without customs duties or value-added tax if the oil is processed inside the EU and then re-exported. Customs warehouses provide a third route, and COAG says insufficient information about the goods’ final destination creates a risk of misuse.

COAG alleges irregular access and weak inspections

COAG alleges that 38.1% of Tunisian olive oil exports entered the European market irregularly or through falsified declarations. The figure is an accusation made by the organization rather than an independently established finding in the supplied source. COAG has also criticized the Spanish government for not seeking safeguard measures against the imports, while Elvira has described the wider situation as tolerated fraud.

Controls are another point of dispute. Elvira says Spain took only three samples between 2018 and 2023 to test imported oils from other countries for pesticide residues. Growers contrast that figure with the recurring inspections applied to domestic production. They are seeking so-called mirror clauses that would require imported products to meet standards equivalent to those imposed on EU producers.

The immediate conflict therefore concerns more than total supply. Bulk Tunisian oil is important to processors and brands in Spain and Italy, while Spanish farms bear costs tied to local rules and traceability. Stronger verification could reduce the risk of misdeclaration, but any intervention would also affect industrial buyers that rely on imported raw material. The outcome will influence grower margins, sourcing strategies and the future use of Spain’s extensive olive-growing base.