Olive harvest drastically down from previous

An "annus horribilis" is how one Tasmanian olive producer described the 2026 harvest.

Olive groves across the state have been experiencing much lower-than-usual fruit yields, with unexpected weather attributed to the decline.

Last year, Tasmanian Olive Groves – which is the largest olive producer in the state – produced around 18,000 litres of oil.

But this year the grove will be lucky to get 6000 litres when it normally averages around 12,000 litres.

Chris Dick from Tasmanian Olive Groves said that they still had some leftover oil from last year that they could use.

“We’ve tested it, and it is still really good olive oil.”

Mr Dick said he believed the high winds were a major factor behind the olive harvest decline.

“Those three months of wind we had last year were wild.

“Where we are is a very windy spot at the best of times because it comes straight down the valley.

“Next door is nice and sheltered, but we cop it.”

Wattle Hill Olives near Latrobe picked around seven tonnes of olives last year.

But in 2026, they only picked one tonne.

Emily Davies from Wattle Hill Olives said it had been a similar story for other fruit and vegetable growers.

“The average oil we get per olive is around 10 per cent,” Ms Davies said.

“So that means we only got about 100 litres of oil for us to last a year, which is not a lot at all.”

Tony O’Neil from Cradle Coast Olives said his yield was down as well.

“It’s been a bit of an annus horribilis across the board,” Mr O’Neil said.

“I haven’t come across a year like it in the 30 or so years that I’ve been involved in the olive pressing game.”

A cool summer is what Mr O’Neil said could have contributed to the reduction.
“Everyone was weeks or even months behind on oil and harvesting, which is problematic because you’ve got the frost to cope with.

“This year the birds, and the parrots in particular, have been worse than they’ve ever been.

“Because the crops are so late coming in, and all the hawthorns and cotoneasters are gone, the birds go for the quality olives.”

Ms Davies said that as a result of the poor 2026 olive harvest, her grove would have to find ways to diversify operations.

“We’d really like to be able to bring people to the grove, whether it be through tours or the farmgate shop we have.

“We also have accommodation as well, so we’re really looking at what’s the best way to diversify.”