The EU is being called on to allow farmers and operators in the agri-food supply chain to remain anonymous when reporting potential unfair trading practices (UTPs).
Copa Cogeca, the umbrella group which represents farmers and agricultural co-operatives in the EU, called on the EU to take further action to prevent UTPs after the European Commission published a report on the implementation of the UTP directive.
The report, published this week, identified a number of “areas of improvement” in the enforcement of the directive, including in the lack of awareness among farmers and agri-food operators.
Reacting to the report, Copa Cogeca said that a lack of knowledge on the UTP directive within member states was a limit on the effectiveness of the directive.
“On the positive side, the report presented by the European Commission provides an update on the implementation of this directive into national law, with the designation of one or more competent authorities to receive complaints.
“Despite this legislation, we continue to observe unfair trading practices in the food supply chain as reported by the commission,” Copa said in a statement.
Copa pointed out that, according to the report, 63% of UTPs are carried out by retailers and wholesalers.
The farm organisation also drew attention to the fear of commercial retaliation by buyers as a key hinderance in initiating complaints under the directive.
“Even if the commission recognises that the awareness of the existence of EU rules is still low (38% of respondents were aware) the impact on the agricultural sector goes beyond these figures as some 30% of respondents do not complain against such practices for fear of being delisted or suffering other forms of retaliation.”
“This is why anonymity, and not just confidentiality, must be granted to farmers who suffer from these unfair and abusive practices so that they can effectively complain,” Copa said.
French farmer Christiane Lambert, Copa president, said: “This report is important and quite timely. It shows that it is essential to improve the European mechanism to combat UTPs in the food supply chain.
“We need to revise and update the list of prohibited UTPs, and to include among those below cost selling and selling at a loss,” she added.
“This is why, in the context of the European elections, we are asking the commission to continue its evaluation work in 2025 and to propose a ‘UTP directive 2.0’ in its upcoming work programme.
“Let’s not forget that behind the issue of fair prices lies the resilience of our agricultural model, the renewal of generations, and the ability to invest in the necessary transitions,” Lambert said.