One of their stated priorities was the advancement of unfair trading practices (UTP) legislation and they will have been satisfied with the level of progress as they leave the chair. They received two or more major boosts in moving the issue forward, with a landslide vote in Parliament at the beginning of their presidency followed by the publication of an extremely supportive report by a Taskforce set up by Agriculture Commissioner Hogan in November.

This report probably exceeded most people’s expectations in its frankness, and this week Hogan was selling it to the agriculture and fisheries ministers at their council at the start of the week and again to the heads of Government on Thursday in the high-level forum. In both cases, he found a willing audience, with even the countries considered more hostile giving it a fair hearing. This is probably an unfair description – many countries have their own legislation of such a strong co-op structure that they visualise EU-wide legislation actually undermining an already satisfactory arrangement, so overall, the EU appears well disposed to some further action.

The agreement to get an impact assessment done in the new year is as much as could have been hoped for. It keeps momentum and the commissioner can go to the agriculture committee of the parliament at the beginning of January expecting a friendly hearing.

Gesture politics

Farm organisations across Europe are pleased with developments to this point but Agra Facts, the Brussels-based trade publication, is reporting that the wholesalers and retailers representative body, Eurocommerce, is dismissive of this course of action as “mere gesture politics” that won’t benefit farmers or market prices. There is some merit in their point on prices but what legislation can do is prohibit activities that hurt weaker links in the supply chain such as credit squeezing, cancellation or modification of orders. Also greater transparency in costs, stocks and pricing after the farm gate will at a minimum enhance understanding of costs along the supply chain and build confidence.

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Brexit peripheral to European Council summit