European and Italian Laws for the Agronomic Use of Olive-Oil Mill Wastewaters

This work examines current Italian and community legislation both as regards olive-oil mill wastewater agronomic use and community aids direct to the olive-oil producers’ support. What appears clear from the research is first of all community and Italian law makers’ will of protecting the environment through a correct use of the available resources and the transformation of possible waste matters products into effectively usable resources; it is also clear the deep link between the two fields of the legislation, even if they are not potentially connected: the preservation of the environment and the producers’ economic interests safeguard. In other words, it appears that the second one can be pursued without causing prejudice to the first one. But this implies a strict observance of the limits given to the Olive-oil Mill Wastewater spreading on the soil, limits which are considered suitable to guarantee a fair balance between the opposite interests.