Does olive harvesting cause bird deaths?

In super-intensive olive groves across the Mediterranean, millions of birds have been sucked into harvesting machines and killed during night-time picking. 

Since the issue first came to light in 2019, several regions have introduced laws banning the practices responsible, and many companies have created policies for their suppliers. So should you still worry about where your olive oil comes from?

Why was olive harvesting causing bird deaths?

In many Mediterranean countries, farmers harvest olives at night because the cool temperatures better preserve the olive flavours. But the super-intensive machines used can also suck up countless numbers of birds, which use the trees as a resting place while on their migratory journey between Europe and North Africa.

In 2019, a major report by Portugal’s Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests found that millions of birds were being killed as a result of the practice. Research estimated that in Andalusia at least 2.6 million birds were dying each year, while in the Avis region of Portugal the number was 96,000. 

Similar practices have also been used elsewhere in Europe such as France and Italy, though bird death numbers in these countries do not appear to have been documented.

Many of Europe’s migrating birds are protected species. In Spain, researchers also found that practice was killing other animals such as geckos and dormice. 

What have countries done to prevent bird deaths from olive harvesting?

Countries throughout the EU have since taken extensive measures to address the issues. 

Portugal has banned intensive night-time harvesting, while France, Italy and Greece have all also either ended the practice or suspended it while undertaking further research. 

Birds are more able to escape the harvesters by day, when they are less dazed by the noise and lights from machinery. 

The Spanish region of Andalucia has also introduced several year-long bans, the most recent of which included exceptions for farms using vehicles with ‘wildlife protection systems’ – including thermal detection for spotting animals, and softer headlights so the birds won’t be dazzled and unable to fly. 

Several companies told Ethical Consumer that intensive night-time harvesting methods have always been very uncommon in Greece, where many olive groves are on steep, rocky slopes less suited to machinery. 

Which olive oil is bird-friendly?

It seems that most EU olive oil is now likely to be bird-friendly, but we also contacted all the companies that we rated in our olive oil guide to ask if they could guarantee that their olive oil was not made using the super-intensive, night-time harvesting methods.

The following table shows companies that responded to our question.

Bird-friendly brands not featured in our olive oil guide

The following brands were not covered in our guide, but have contacted us stating that they do not use the harvesting methods in question and are therefore bird-friendly.

• Epikouros
• Honest Toil
• Lesbian Donkey
• Mani 

Does buying organic olive oil guarantee the oil is bird-friendly?

Ethical Consumer contacted the Soil Association – the main organic certifier in the UK – to see if their organic stamp guaranteed the exclusion of super-intensive nocturnal harvesting methods.

The organisation told us, “a recent survey showed all Soil Association Certification licensees have a bird-friendly guarantee.” 

While the organic standard doesn’t ban the specific practices involved, a Soil Association spokesperson said, “Organic standards do not allow any practices to be carried out that may risk harming wild bird populations. It is therefore unlikely to be found in organic olive groves and if it was used, it would need to be done in such a way that birds are not impacted in order to comply with organic regulations.” 

Conclusions: what should consumers look for with olive oil?

European countries have taken major steps to tackle the issue, making olive oil from these countries a safe bet. 

If you want to be absolutely water tight, we recommend you buy from the companies in the table above that guaranteed their olive oil was not made using the intensive night-time harvesting methods. Most of these companies were also listed as overall Best Buys in our olive oil guide for their social and environmental responsibility over a wide range of issues.

We also recommend you buy organic. Although it does not guarantee the exclusion of heavy machinery in olive harvesting, it means that its use is unlikely. Buying organic also means that other sustainability factors have been addressed, for example, that no toxic pesticides and herbicides have been used.