Farmers and small suppliers across the food supply chain have been urged to share their views on their experiences with unfair trading practices in an EU survey.
During recent weeks, farmers and their associations raised concerns about the prevalence of unfair practices within the food supply chain, the European Commission said.
The food supply chain is vulnerable to unfair trading practices due to stark imbalances between small and large operators, according to the European Commission.
Farmers can express their concerns and share their experience with unfair trading practices in an online survey on the European Commission’s website until Friday, March 15.
Unfair trading practices
The survey targets EU farmers and smaller suppliers operating within the agricultural and food supply chain, covering various stages of production and distribution.
Survey respondents can share whether they have experienced unfair trading practices lately from buyers economically stronger.
Before a product reaches the consumer, several market participants take part in the food supply chain and add to its value and impact on the final price paid by the consumer.
The abuse of bargaining power between different operators in the supply chain may sometimes lead to unfair trading practices that can have harmful effects, the European Commission said.
To improve the position of both farmers and small and medium-sized businesses in the food supply chain, the EU has adopted legislation that bans 16 unfair trading practices.
Unfair trading practices banned under the directive include:
- Late payments for perishable and non-perishable food products;
- Last minute order cancellations;
- Unilateral or retroactive changes to contracts;
- Forcing the supplier to pay for wasted products and refusing written contracts.
To take stock of the prevalence of prohibited unfair trading practices and to assess the effectiveness of measures taken at national level, the European Commission conducts annual surveys.
European Commission
The survey currently open is the third one since the first baseline survey was conducted before the implementation of the directive in 2019.
This year’s results will be used in the evaluation of the current rules on unfair trading practices that the European Commission is required to carry out by November 1, 2025.
E.g., last year’s survey revealed that more than 60% of respondents to the survey were not even aware of the existence of the enforcement authorities.