A survey carried out on behalf of An Rialálaí Agraibhia (Agri-Food Regulator) reports high recognition of the regulator but hesitation remains to report Unfair Trading Practices (UTPs).
The regulator has reiterated calls for suppliers to come forward if they feel they may have
been subject to a UTP, highlighting their recent successful prosecution of a UTP breach.
The survey of agri-food suppliers has revealed high recognition of the Agri-Food Regulator with 78% of respondents indicating that they have heard of the statutory body.
Established in December 2023, An Rialálaí Agraibhia is tasked with promoting fairness and transparency across all stages of the supply chain.
According to the survey of primary producers across the sector, 54% of those familiar with the body are aware of its role in protecting producers from unfair trading practices (UTPs).
However, just three in 10 express confidence that the regulator can protect them against such practices.
Survey – unfair trading practices
In the survey, conducted online by Coyne Research during October 2024, 33% of primary producers reported that they had been subject to at least one UTP in the past year, with late payment being the leading breach (11%).
This was followed by unilateral contract changes (9%) and incidences of commercial retaliation by buyers (8%).
Of those who had experienced a UTP, just 38% of suppliers had raised the issue with any operator, with just 19% satisfied that raising the issue led to a successful outcome.
Many of those who had claimed incidences of UTPs felt that such breaches were simply ‘common practice’ (61%) while others said they didn’t think there was anything the regulator could do to help (27%).
Others reported fear of retaliation from the buyer (24%), which is, in itself, a prohibited UTP.
However, 50% of respondents have said that now that they are familiar with the Agri-Food Regulator, they would be likely to raise issues with them.
Commenting on the survey findings, CEO of the Agri-Food Regulator, Niamh Lenehan, welcomed the significant recognition of the office, but expressed concern that more primary producers were not coming forward where incidences of UTPs were experienced.
“I am pleased to see that the survey found strong awareness of the regulator as an organisation – we’ve engaged extensively with stakeholders across all stages of the supply chain over the past year,” she said.
“However, I am disappointed to see that some producers are not coming forward with their concerns. This survey was conducted in October and, since then, we’ve had our first successful prosecution for a breach of a UTP.
“I hope that this conviction will encourage more producers to contact us in confidence.
“The survey results indicate that more work needs to be done by the regulator to increase awareness and understanding of UTPs amongst producers and we are actively planning next steps in this regard,” she added.