IFA President John Bryan has welcomed the move by the European Parliament in Strazbourg yesterday in support of the Bove Report resolution to tackle the dominant position and unfair practices of the multiple retailers and ban below cost selling of grocery products.

 

The IFA President urged the EU Commission and the Irish Government to immediately act on the European Parliament’s support for banning below cost selling by multiples, which has seriously threatened the livelihoods of Irish and European food producers. It is now a matter of urgency that legislation to enforce fair competition in the food supply chain is passed.

 

He called on the Irish Government to bring forward their planned code of practice and provide statutory legislation to outlaw the unsustainable practices in the food supply chain and ban below cost selling.

 

John Bryan said the Parliament’s decision supports the key issues in IFA’s retail campaign, which need to be enshrined in National and EU law to rebalance the food supply chain and tackle the issue of retailers forcing farmgate prices below the cost of production.