With widespread pressure in favour of EU legislation to strengthen the hand of farmers in the wider food industry, the Commission invited submissions from members of the industry and the public last August.

Farmers are listed first among the groups of people Commissioner Phil Hogan would like to hear from. The Commission is considering three areas of action:

  • Unfair trading practices
  • Market transparency
  • Producer cooperation.

    • The EU’s Agri Markets Task Force published a report last year, which highlighted the weak position of numerous, small food producers, including farmers, when negotiating with large corporations, such as retailers.

    Solutions under discussion include more transparent reporting of the prices and margins generated along various steps in the food value chain, and incentives for farmers to organise collectively and negotiate better prices with processors or retailers.

    “Farmers often work independently of each other, and there is little in the way of collective bargaining power to help farmers defend their interests against other parts of the food chain, such as food processors and retailers,” the Commission said when opening the consultation.

    Submissions must be sent to the Commission trough the dedicated online questionnaire by next Friday.

    Read more

    France to base food prices on farmers’ production costs