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<pre>Andrew,
I humbly beg to differ! The costs of these courses are astronomical, and
there is very little that a reasonable person cannot do themselves. The
FarmBi$ funding has been withdrawn from the "Olive Care" courses, so
they are now costed in the region of $300 for a two day course, usually
run during the week. I don't know about you, but I (and my partner) have
full time employment with which to support our olive habit. We cannot
just take a day or two off, like some "professionals" can, to attend a
gabfest that contributes little to the actual running of our enterprise.

Andrew Brown wrote:

>
> I don't want to be a salesman for these systems. However from the
> point of
> view of protecting the industry as a whole I think we as an industry
> ought
> to make it mandatory. Consider what one case of food or chemical
> poisoning
> from olive oil would do to all of us!!

It is not likely that an olive, properly brine treated, will cause
either of the above. Far less likely is that oil will cause them. The
most likely cause of either would be from "fresh" herbs or other
additives to marinades (or infused into oils).

>
> I understand that HACCP is also recognized by the international
> market. It
> is somehow linked to the UN food assessment for safety.
> A final note: As I understand it the likelihood of it becoming legislated
> is about 40%

Finally, I feel that the consumer will note the defects in the oil
before it would cause any illness. Marinated olives (as noted above) are
a different thing if there are herbs used in the marinade without heat
treatment.

Cheers
John Attwood
Tamworth
(Northern) NSW Au
</pre>
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