The formal establishment of the long awaited agri-food regulator, to be known as An Rialálaí Agraibhia, took place today at its offices in the Government's Backweston Campus in Celbridge Co Kildare.
The Rialálaí will be charged with providing market analysis and transparency on business relationships between farmers, processors and powerful multiples who buy their produce, and with stopping unfair trading practices.
For many years farmers and small food producers have complained the prices they are often paid are inadequate for them to make a living, and undervalue their produce.
Against that backdrop, the Rialálaí Agraibhia is being formally established, fulfilling a Programme for Government commitment to set up an authority to ensure fairness, equity and transparency in the food chain.
Its main focus will be to give price and market analysis for agricultural and food products and the food supply chain with a view to strengthening the position of smaller suppliers against larger buyers who wield greater bargaining power.
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The office will also enforce EU legislation banning 16 unfair trading practices.
These include practices such as requiring small producers to pay for shelf space, marketing or promotions of their products, unilateral contract changes or cancellations and late payments or returning unsold goods to producers without paying.
The Rialálaí does not have a role in price making nor can it investigate cartel-like behaviour.
CEO Niamh Lenehan said "We do not have a role in competition law. An Rialálaí Agraibhia’s role in that space is that in the course of our work we come across any practices or anything we feel does not look quite right, we have a duty to pass that on to the relevant authority."
When it is fully up and running the Rialálaí will have 17 members of staff and recruitment is ongoing at the moment.
