Agriculture Committee to discuss Proposed Directive on unfair trading practices

The agenda for the meeting is as follows:

• Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals: Schedule A: COM(2018)613 on fishing opportunities for European seabass;

• Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals: Schedule B: COM(2018)577, COM(2018)608

• Further Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals: COM(2018)173 on Proposed Directive on unfair trading practices in business-to-business relationships in the food supply chain (resumed)
Representatives from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC)

• Further Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals: COM(2018)173 on Proposed Directive on unfair trading practices in business-to-business relationships in the food supply chain (resumed)
Representatives from the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA), Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS), Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) and Retail Ireland.

The proposed Directive is the first ever action by the European Commission to address the issue of unfair trading practices in the food supply chain, with the sector particularly vulnerable to such practices due to the large differences in bargaining power.

The Committee was briefed on the proposal by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on 25 September 2018. This meeting continues the Committee’s consideration of the proposal, with the CCPC and stakeholders who may be impacted by the proposal addressing the Committee.

Committee Chair Pat Deering TD, said today, “Tomorrow’s meeting will see the Committee resume its examination of Proposed Directive on unfair trading practices in business-to-business relationships in the food supply chain, something which we discussed with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine last month.”

“We will discuss the proposed directive in the context of what it could do to protect farmers and smaller companies from unfair trading practices when selling to larger companies. The proposal is also developing at EU level, with the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee suggesting the addition of further banned practices and for the scope of the proposed Directive be extended to all buyers. With this in mind, the possible directions that negotiations on the proposal will take will also be discussed at the meeting.”

The meeting will start at 3.30pm in Committee Room 1, Leinster House.

Committee proceedings can be viewed live here