A letter from the Agri-Food Regulator (An Rialálaí Agraibhia) has been sent to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, in order to seek additional powers when requesting information.
Chair of the Board of the Agri-Food Regulator, Joe Healy said that despite efforts, some retailers are “not engaging” with the board.
The additional powers would allow the regulator to compel the provision of necessary price and market information from relevant businesses in the agri-food supply chain.
From March, the food regulator had engaged with the relevant businesses in the egg supply chain to request data impacting upon price and margins.
It was intended that using the data supplied, and supplemented by publicly available information, the regulator would produce a report about price and market data across the egg supply chain.
Retailers
Healy said that the board had “good success” with the egg packers and food wholesalers, but that only half of the retailers responded to the requests.
“We contacted them a number of times and followed up. There was a lot of engagement with them, but deadlines came and went, and only three of the six [retailers] contacted had given information.
“It meant that the egg report had to be based on publicly available information. For other reports to carry credibility, we need that extra power that whoever we seek information off, they will be compelled to give it to us,” Healy said.
Following consideration of the outcome of the engagement to-date with these businesses, the board of the Agri-Food Regulator has prepared a report under section 17(4) of the 2023 Act.
Agri-Food Regulator
The minister has been asked to introduce additional regulations as soon as possible under Regulation 80(2)(g) of the 2023 Act.
These regulations would allow the regulator to compel the provision of price and market information referred to in section 12(3)(d) of the 2023 Act from all businesses in the agri-food supply chain
Since the board set up in December last year, it has held almost 90 meetings with various stakeholders, retailers and farm lobby groups.
The regulator also held around eight board meetings and prepared a strategy for the next three years.
The first report, to provide an overview of the Irish egg production sector using publicly available data, was published in July.