The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has welcomed the appointment of the CEO designate of the new Agri-Food Regulator.
Niamh Lenehan was announced as the first CEO of the office (which will be known in Irish as An Rialálaí Agraibhia) yesterday (Monday, May 22) by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue.
She will formally step into the role on the day that An Rialálaí Agraibhia is officially established through the enactment of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill, which is currently making its way through the legislative process in the Oireachtas.
Speaking today (Tuesday, May 23), Tim Cullinan, the president of the IFA, said that Lenehan will “play a very important role in bringing fairness back into our food supply chain and leveling the playing pitch in negotiations between farmers, processors and retailers”.
The IFA, which has made a number of submissions to government on the legislation, has called for the bill to be passed at all stages of the legislative process, and for the office to begin operations, as soon as possible.
As part of the role of CEO of An Rialálaí Agraibhia, Lenehan will take over as the statutory authority for enforcing unfair trading practices (UTPs) legislation.
In the meantime, she will take over as head of the UTP Enforcement Authority, which is an interim body tasked with enforcing the legislation before that role is transferred to the new regulator office.
Cullinan said that this role, while not having the same powers as the regulator, is an important one in ensuring that food retailers, processors, and others involved in buying food produce from farmers comply with the EU UTP directive.
The IFA president also paid tribute to the previous head of the UTP Enforcement Authority, Noel Collins, thanking him for his engagement with farmer representatives over the last two years.
“The IFA looks forward to engaging with Niamh Lenehan on behalf of farmers, in particular those in the fresh produce sectors, who are so reliant on the retail sector,” Cullinan said.
He added: “Her appointment comes at a time when farmers were never more in need of a voice, and regulation, to stand up for their livelihoods in an ever more dysfunctional food supply chain.
“Today’s food supply chain is dominated by a small number of big players at retail level.”
“Their dominance is determining the livelihoods and future of farmers and food producers,” Cullinan commented.