The Spanish government has ordered the withdrawal of olive oil from the market to prevent a price collapse. This measure comes after the price reached **10 euros** per liter and has triggered significant criticism regarding its timing.
## The measure and its context
The Government has decreed the removal of olive oil from the market to avoid a drastic drop in its price. This decision arrives at a time when the liter of oil had reached **10 euros**, a level that strained consumption and sparked complaints.
The Executive's intervention to support the price contrasts with its previous passivity, when costs were extremely high. This is the interpretation drawn from the post that has fueled the debate.
## Criticism of double standards
The post highlights a contradiction: the Government, which calls itself "the most pogre in history," did not intervene in the market when prices were at **10 euros/liter**, but it can act now when consumers would have saved just a few euros on their purchase.
The message suggests that product withdrawal does not respond to logic aimed at lowering citizen costs, but rather to protecting market prices. The irony about "dressing salads beyond our means" summarizes the skepticism toward the measure.
## Implications of withdrawing product
Removing olive oil from the market reduces available supply. If demand remains stable, prices tend to rise or stop falling. It is a classic intervention to sustain incomes in a sector coming from record-high prices.
The measure has a cost: the withdrawn product does not reach consumers, and someone must bear the expense of storage or destruction. Public debate focuses on who pays this cost and who benefits.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication.
Read the full discussion (2 replies).
Spain's Ministry of Agriculture has a legal tool to trigger the compulsory withdrawal of olive oil from the market and stabilise prices, as reported by elEconomista.es. Here is how it works.