Some 90% of respondents agreed or partially agreed that unfair trading practices (UTPs) exist, citing for example payment periods longer than 30 days for agri-food products and unilateral and retroactive changes to contracts.
In particular:
- 94% of respondents agreed or partially agreed that UTPs have negative effects for farmers.
- 95% of respondents agreed or partially agreed that action should be taken to address UTPs.
- 87% of respondents believed this action should be taken by the European Union.
Other common practices include last-minute order cancellations for perishable products, requests for up-front payments to secure or retain contracts or additional payment to have products displayed favourably on shelves. Most respondents said they considered these practices occurred regularly or very regularly, and most agreed that farmers were the most likely to be impacted by them.
A majority of respondents also agreed that action needed to be taken to tackle unfair trading practices, and that the EU level was the most appropriate to do so, through legislation. Most believed EU action would result in better enforcement of rules on unfair trading practices, as well as bringing more legal certainty for businesses and ensuring a level playing field in the internal market.
Speaking at the High Level Forum on the Food Supply Chain in Brussels on 6 December 2017, EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan stressed the importance of a fair and well-functioning supply chain to allow farmers to make the most of the EU single market.
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Via ec.europa.eu
