The Irish Farmer’s Association (IFA) has welcomed the recently announced agreement in Brussels regarding the clamp down on unfair trading practices across Europe.
IFA President Joe Healy said the agreement shows there is “significant political momentum” to rule out UTPs.
“What we need to see now is our Government move this forward without delay. This includes the appointment of an independent retail regulator for the food sector,” Healy said.
Unfair Trading Practices
He continued to say that farmers are not getting a fair share of the retail price, something the group has been campaigning for in Ireland, and Healy across Europe.
“Many retailers are behaving like modern-day dictatorships, abusing their power to accumulate vast profits,” he continued.
“The current situation, where processors and retailers make a margin, with farmers forced to produce at or below the cost of production, is unacceptable”.
Healy acknowledged the work Phil Hogan, EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development is doing in this area.
“IFA has campaigned for many years, nationally and in Europe, for a re-balancing of power in the food supply chain, to deliver a viable price for farmers, and a return on their work and investment.”
© 2018 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Aidan O’Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
