Offaly TD expresses concern as farmers still report fear to engaging with regulator

INDEPENDENT TD for Offaly Carol Nolan has praised the work of An Rialálaí Agraibhia, (the Agri-Food Regulator) describing the work it has conducted to date as “a tangible and hopeful indication that real progress is being made on redressing the financial power imbalance that has traditionally existed between farmers, suppliers and the retail sector.”

Deputy Nolan was speaking after having attended the Agri-Food Regulator Inaugural Conference at ​The Johnstown Estate in Enfield, Co. Meath.

The Conference heard from Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, Minister of State, Michael Healy-Rae and Niamh Lenehan, CEO, An Rialálaí Agraibhia, as well as from Niamh Brennan, Senior Policy Executive, Irish Farmers’ Association, among others:

“I have been consistently engaging with the work of the Regulator and indeed its precursor structure, the Unfair Trading Practices (UTP) Enforcement Authority Division in the Department of Agriculture, since at least 2022. So, I am delighted to see that it continues to operate with the level of forceful commitment that we all need to see around ensuring that farmers, their work and their incomes are protected from abuse,” said Deputy Nolan.

“I do find it concerning however that issues I would have raised in June of 2022 around fear of retaliation from the large retailers, is still leading to a lower-than-expected level of complaints being made.”

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“The feedback from the Supplier Survey Findings that were discussed at the Conference made it clear that there is still have a quite a way to go in terms of gaining the trust of farmers to lodge complaints if they feel they are being targeted with unfair trading practices.”

“I do accept that some of the retailers are being much more proactive about this but what we really need to see is an equality of approach right across the board from all of the major multiples.”

“We know that there is a 70% compliance rate with the protections that have been enforced by the equivalent UK authority, the Groceries Code Adjudicator. We need to get our numbers well up into that region.”

“I do have concerns however that unless the Agri-Food Regulator is sufficiently staffed and resourced then achieving that objective will take considerably longer. As a result, we will inevitably see an erosion in trust. What I would say is that we have the skeleton of an enforcement authority that is doing great work with what it has, but we now need to put proper flesh on the bones. That means more funding and more staff and if need be, more wide-ranging statutory powers. Let’s get on with the work of protecting farm incomes,” concluded Deputy Nolan.

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