As price of olive oil soars, chainsaw-wielding thieves target Mediterranean's century-old trees
apnews.com
In the Mediterranean's olive-growing countries, the extreme weather caused by climate change is taking a toll.

SPATA, Greece (AP) — In an olive grove on the outskirts of Athens, grower Konstantinos Markou pushes aside the shoots of new growth to reveal the stump of a tree — a roughly 150-year-old specimen, he said, that was among 15 cut down on his neighbor’s land by thieves eager to turn it into money.

    • Salamendacious@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      24·
      2 年前

      If you’re really interested in doing the research, there’s an entire black economy on bootleg olive oil and the mafia is a big part of it. I wouldn’t be surprised if Italian organized crime is involved in this somehow.

        • SheDiceToday@eslemmy.esEnglish
          3·
          2 年前

          Eh, just don’t go and make an organization dedicated to certifying olive oil… that’s actually effective. There have been several big stories about much of the oil you find in a store being either rancid or at best a mixture of olive oil and something else.