Por Redaccion 
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.
As part of the agricultural campaign for the olive harvest last year (2023-2024) and thanks to the collaboration of the Civil Guard, a total of 8,330 kilos of olives have been seized and deposited in the province. Thus, through nine oil mills in the province and with the collaboration of Agri-food Cooperatives of Andalusia, this extra virgin olive oil has been produced and subsequently delivered to the Food Bank.
During the same campaign, a total of 70 sanction proceedings have been initiated 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 correct registration in the Register of Agricultural and Forestry Holdings of Andalusia (REAFA). The amounts of the fines 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, where, in addition to inspections, training activities for farmers and cooperative members are also carried out,» explained the territorial delegate in Córdoba, Francisco Acosta.
Furthermore, this collaboration is a very important tool to combat thefts in agricultural farms in the province and, in the field of corporate social responsibility, it helps the most vulnerable and needy individuals.
The cooperative societies that have participated in this initiative include Virgen de la Estrella in the town of Villa del Río, Nuestra Señora de la Merced in Montoro, Cooperativa Agrícola La Unión in Montilla, Nuestra Señora de Araceli in Lucena, Cooperativa Pontananse in Puente Genil, Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados in Puente Genil, the one in Cabra, the one in Lucena, and the San José Cooperative in Los Llanos de Don Juan, also in Lucena.
Defense of Differentiated Quality
On the other hand, in the context of defending differentiated quality, the Ministry of Agriculture also collaborates with the Civil Guard and Origen España to identify products with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) or Protected Geographical Indication (PGI).
For this purpose, dissemination, collaboration, training, and research activities are carried out, which have led to legal action in cases of food fraud and offenses 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 PDOs of Córdoba, as well as the planning of agricultural campaigns.