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The latest round of discussions between the European Parliament, Council and Commission ended on Thursday night witout agreement on proposed EU legislation to tackle unfair trading practices in agriculture and food markets.
"We are committed to cutting the unfair [trading practices] but, at the same time, we want an ambitious new law that will ensure the highest possible level of protection for our farmers and thus safeguard the long-term sustainability of agri-food communities," said MEP Paolo De Castro, the Parliament's lead negotiator on this issue.
“We still have time and we will invest the upcoming weeks into achieving the best quality result that our farmers, food producers and consumers deserve.”
Deadline
The trialogue between European institutions to agree the text began on 25 October, with a Christmas deadline if legislation is to be passed before EU elections next May.
The Commission's proposal would outlaw some practices including late payments and cancellations of orders, but has been criticised for failing to introduce an outright ban on below-cost selling and full transparency on pricing along the food chain.
SHARING OPTIONS: