AN UPDATE FROM THE AGRI-FOOD REGULATOR - 17th December 2024

Agri-Food Regulator notes the finalisation of first conviction

for breach of Unfair Trading Practices Regulations

 

The Agri-Food Regulator’s first case for a breach of the Unfair Trading Practices Regulations was finalised on Friday 13th December, at Ennis District Court where a fine of €1,000 was imposed by Judge Alec Gabbett on Asba Meats Ltd, Beechpark Logistics Centre, Smithstown Industrial Estate, Shannon, Co Clare.  The Regulator was also awarded costs of €10,163.76.  

The fine and the awarding of costs followed a conviction by Judge Gabbett on November 15th in the case taken by the Regulator against the meat processor following the non-payment for cattle delivered to the slaughter plant by a West of Ireland farmer.

Niamh Lenehan, CEO said “I welcome the finalisation of this case, especially as it came on the first anniversary of the formal establishment of An Rialálaí Agraibhia.  The outcome of this case sends out a very strong message to buyers in the agri-food supply chain and will serve to increase awareness of the Regulator’s role to enforce breaches of unfair trading law.”

Ms Lenehan reiterated that anyone who feels they may be experiencing or have been subjected to an Unfair Trading Practice should contact the Regulator immediately.  Information on how to make a complaint or to make a confidential tip-off is available on the Regulator's website.

“As evidenced in this case, the Agri-Food Regulator is here to help primary producers and small agri-food businesses in their dealings with larger buyers,” continued Ms Lenehan.  “I encourage all suppliers to familiarise themselves with the protections available to them under the Unfair Trading Regulations and to contact the Regulator with any questions they may have.” 

 

ENDS

For media queries contact:

Deirdre Sheahan, Drury | Deirdre.sheahan@drury.ie | 085 744 2242

Notes to editors:

On Friday 15th November, the Agri-Food Regulator secured its first conviction for a breach of the Unfair Trading Practices (UTP) Regulations, following a court case against Asba Meats Ltd, Beechpark Logistics Centre, Smithstown Industrial Estate, Shannon, Co Clare.

Ennis District Court heard that a West of Ireland farmer made a complaint to the Agri-Food Regulator in August 2023 claiming that Asba Meats were in breach of the Unfair Trading Practices Regulations as a result of the non-payment for animals which were delivered to the processor in October 2022.

The Court convicted the company on a single charge but placed a stay on the conviction until 13th December indicating that it would consider a fine and adjudicate on costs on that date.

 

About the Agri-Food Regulator

Under the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Act 2023, ‘An Rialálaí Agraibhia’ (Agri-Food Regulator) was established as a new independent state agency on 13th December 2023 (2023 Act).

Under the 2023 Act, the Agri-Food Regulator became the designated Enforcement Authority for the purposes of the Unfair Trading Regulations (S.I. No. 625/2023 - Agricultural and Food Supply Chain (Unfair Trading) Regulations 2023).

The Unfair Trading Regulations (2023) provides legal protection to suppliers of agri-food products against 16 specific unfair trading practices.   There are FAQs available for suppliers, as well as buyers, about the Regulations at www.agrifoodregulator.ie

 

Email: info@agrifoodregulator.ie                   Phone: +353 (0) 1 601 9900

Office Address:

An Rialálaí Agraibhia (Agri-Food Regulator)
Backweston Campus
Celbridge
Co Kildare
Ireland
W23 X3PH

 

AN UPDATE FROM THE AGRI-FOOD REGULATOR - 10th December 2024

An Rialálaí Agraibhia (Agri-Food Regulator) secures agreement from beef processors to publish weekly pricing information.

The four largest beef processors in the State agree to share weekly reported values for Beef Forequarter, Beef Hindquarter and Beef Minced Meat with the Regulator.

The Agri-Food Regulator confirmed today that it had secured the agreement of the four largest beef processors to share weekly reported values for Beef Forequarter, Beef Hindquarter and 5% fat content Beef Minced Meat (500g packs), as provided by the processors to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine under EU market transparency regulations. The processors involved are ABP, Dawn Meats, Kepak, and Liffey Meats.

The Regulator will aggregate the values collected from each processor to produce a single average aggregate figure for each of the Forequarter, Hindquarter and Minced Beef values. These aggregated values will provide an indicative price for the realisable value for beef at this stage of the supply chain and will be published weekly by the Regulator.

Niamh Lenehan, CEO of the Agri-Food Regulator said “The initiative to publish this information enhances transparency in the supply chain by providing an estimate of the value of beef accruing at the processing stage”.

The first report includes an overview of the methodology agreed between the processors and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, as well as the Regulator’s methodology when aggregating the reported values and is available on the Regulator’s website at here Beef Report (pdf 155Kb)  

Ms Lenehan continued “I would like to acknowledge the positive engagement from the beef processors involved, in addition to Meat Industry Ireland and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The reporting now by the Regulator is an important further step in improving transparency in the beef sector. We will continue to work with primary producers and their end processors with a view to publishing similar reports in the future”.

ENDS

For media queries contact:

Deirdre Sheahan, Drury | Deirdre.sheahan@drury.ie | 085 744 2242

Notes to editors:

Under the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Act 2023, ‘An Rialálaí Agraibhia’ (Agri-Food Regulator) was established as a new independent state agency on 13th December 2023 (2023 Act)

Section 12 of the 2023 Act provides that the Regulator may ‘seek from businesses within the agricultural and food supply chain any data impacting upon price and margins considered necessary’.

In pursuit of this function, the Regulator met with representatives of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) to discuss the methodology used to fulfil the reporting requirements under S.I. No. 449/2021 - European Union (Market Transparency) Regulations 2021, the Statutory Instrument responsible for implementing:

  • Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 and Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 (as amended by Regulation (EU) No 1310/2013 and Regulation (EU) 2017/2393)

 

  • Regulation (EU) 2017/1183 and Regulation (EU) 2017/1185 (as amended by Regulation (EU) 2019/1746)

 

During these meetings, the Regulator came to understand the extensive engagement with Meat Industry Ireland undertaken by DAFM in conjunction with four of the largest beef processors (representing greater than 80% of the national beef kill) to define and agree the reporting process for Beef Forequarter, Beef Hindquarter and a Beef Minced Meat (5% fat content) prices as required under S.I. No. 449/2021.

The Regulator met with representatives from ABP, Dawn Meats, Kepak and Liffey Meats in August and September 2024 with a view to securing their agreement to sharing with the Regulator weekly prices for Beef Forequarter, Beef Hindquarter and a Beef Minced Meat (5% fat content) as provided to DAFM under the Market Transparency Regulations.

 

Email: info@agrifoodregulator.ie                   Phone: +353 (0) 1 601 9900

 

Office Address:

An Rialálaí Agraibhia (Agri-Food Regulator)
Backweston Campus
Celbridge
Co Kildare
Ireland
W23 X3PH

 

An Rialálaí Agraibhia has provided an update on its work:

Survey reports high recognition of Agri-Food Regulator but hesitation remains to report Unfair Trading Practices

 

The Regulator reiterates calls for suppliers to come forward if they feel they may have
been subject to an Unfair Trading Practice (UTP), highlighting their recent successful prosecution of a UTP breach

 

3rd December 2024: A new survey of agri-food suppliers has revealed high recognition of the Agri-Food Regulator with 78% of respondents indicating that they have heard of the statutory body. Established in December 2023, the Regulator is tasked with promoting fairness and transparency across all stages of the supply chain.

According to the survey of primary producers across the sector, 54% of those familiar with the body are aware of its role in protecting producers from unfair trading practices (UTPs). However, just 3 in 10 express confidence that the Regulator can protect them against such practices.

In the survey, conducted online by Coyne Research during October 2024, 33% of primary producers reported that they had been subject to at least one UTP in the past year, with late payment being the leading breach (11%), followed by unilateral contract changes (9%) and incidences of commercial retaliation by buyers (8%).

Of those who had experienced a UTP, just 38% of suppliers had raised the issue with any operator, with just 19% satisfied that raising the issue led to a successful outcome.

Many of those who had claimed incidences of UTPs felt that such breaches were simply ‘common practice’ (61%) while others said they didn’t think there was anything the Regulator could do to help (27%). Others reported fear of retaliation from the buyer (24%), which is, in itself, a prohibited UTP.

However, 50% of respondents have said that now that they are familiar with the Agri-Food Regulator, they would be likely to raise issues with them.

Commenting on the survey findings, CEO of the Agri-Food Regulator, Niamh Lenehan, welcomed the significant recognition of the office, but expressed concern that more primary producers were not coming forward where incidences of UTPs were experienced.

“I am pleased to see that the survey found strong awareness of the Regulator as an organisation – we’ve engaged extensively with stakeholders across all stages of the supply chain over the past year. However, I am disappointed to see that some producers are not coming forward with their concerns. This survey was conducted in October and, since then, we’ve had our first successful prosecution for a breach of a UTP. I hope that this conviction will encourage more producers to contact us in confidence.

The survey results indicate that more work needs to be done by the Regulator to increase awareness and understanding of UTPs amongst producers and we are actively planning next steps in this regard. In particular, we will address some of the issues raised and common misconceptions articulated in the comments of survey respondents, some of which are outlined in the survey findings”.

The full survey findings are available at Unfair Trading Practices Survey findings (pdf 583Kb) 

ENDS

For media queries contact:

Deirdre Sheahan, Drury | Deirdre.sheahan@drury.ie | 085 744 2242

Danielle Martin, Drury   | Danielle.martin@drury.ie   | 086 776 1592

 

Notes:

Fieldwork took place via online survey between the 2nd – 20th October 2024.

The Agri-Food Regulator was responsible for promoting the survey link on its website. Assistance was also sought from farming organisations to distribute details of the survey.

246 Primary Producers responded to the online survey. The margin of error on a sample of this size is +/- 8.8% at the 95% Confidence level.

 

About the Agri-Food Regulator

An Rialálaí Agraibhia | Agri-Food Regulator is an independent statutory Office established under the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Act 2023.

The Agri-Food Regulator is concerned with promoting fairness and transparency in the agri-food supply chain. It’s statutory remit and focus is on business-to-business relationships within the supply chain. In exercising this function, the Agri-Food Regulator shall have regard to the circumstances and needs of the agricultural and food sector, including, in particular farming, fishing and small food businesses.

An Rialálaí Agraibhia has provided an update on its work:

Agri-Food Regulator announces first conviction for Unfair Trading Practices (doc 179Kb) 

An Rialálaí Agraibhia has provided an update on its work:

Update from An Rialálaí Agraibhia 12 September 2024 (pdf 112Kb) 

An Rialálaí Agraibhia has provided an update on its work:

Media update from An Rialálaí Agraibhia 18 July 2024 (pdf 85Kb) 

20th June 2024: An Rialálaí Agraibhia (Agri-Food Regulator) (Regulator) published its inaugural Strategy Statement today, which lays out a roadmap for the first three years of the new office.  

Tasked with the remit of promoting fairness and transparency across all levels of the agri-food supply chain, the Strategy Statement outlines the Regulator’s key priorities and sets out a delivery framework to achieve the following four key objectives for the organisation:

 

  • Enforcement of agri-food unfair trading law.
  • Improved transparency on the functioning of the agri-food supply chain.
  • Effective communication and engagement with stakeholders in promoting fairness and transparency.
  • Building of organisational capacity with optimal use of resources to deliver an efficient and effective service.

 

Joe Healy, Chairman welcomed publication of the Strategy Statement:

“I’m delighted to launch the first Strategy Statement for An Rialálaí Agraibhia which outlines our key objectives and priorities for the next three years. The Strategy provides us with a clear vision and framework which will guide our work in delivering increased fairness and transparency in the agri-food supply chain.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, T.D, also welcomed the Strategy and thanked the board of the Regulator for their work to date:

“I am delighted to receive this Statement of Strategy which really highlights how the Agri-Food sector is benefitting from an independent Regulator which promotes fairness and transparency in the food supply chain. I thank Joe Healy, Chairperson, his fellow Board members and Niamh Lenehan, CEO for their enormous work in steering An Rialálaí Agraibhia, since its establishment last December.  

I met the Chairperson and the CEO recently to hear about the work the Regulator has been doing since establishment.  The Strategy sets out its key objectives which will deliver fairness and transparency right across the agri-food chain but especially for farmers, fishers and small food businesses. I look forward to continued engagement with the Regulator and wish it every success in delivering its strategy “

Looking to the months ahead, Niamh Lenehan, CEO outlined a number of upcoming actions from the Regulator:

“A key focus of the Regulator is enabling greater transparency on how the food supply chain works and, in particular, price formation mechanisms. To this end, the publication of a number of sectoral reviews are planned in the coming months; a data request issued to businesses operating in the egg sector a number of weeks ago and data requests in other sectors are also planned. Further, we will continue with monitoring and enforcement activities in relation to the Unfair Trading Regulations with compliance inspections commencing shortly.”

ENDS

For media queries contact:

Deirdre Sheahan, Drury | Deirdre.sheahan@drury.ie | 085 744 2242
Danielle Martin, Drury   | Danielle.martin@drury.ie   | 086 776 1592

About the An Rialálaí Agraibhia:

An Rialálaí Agraibhia (Agri-Food Regulator) is an independent statutory Office established under the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Act 2023.

The Act outlines the functions assigned to the Regulator under the following headings:

  • Fairness and transparency in the agri-food supply chain - in exercising this function, the Agri-Food Regulator will have regard to the circumstances and needs of the agricultural and food sector including, in particular farming, fishing and small food businesses;
  • Information and engagement - the Agri-Food Regulator will publish analysis of information about price and market data relating to the agri-food supply chain;
  • Compliance with unfair trading law - the Agri-Food Regulator is responsible for enhancing understanding of and compliance with agri-food unfair trading law;
  • Enforcement of unfair trading law - the Agri-Food Regulator is responsible for enforcing agri-food unfair trading law and is the designated Enforcement Authority as required under Directive (EU) 2019/633;
  • Guidelines - the Agri-Food Regulator may, for the purpose of protecting supplier interests, publish guidelines for buyers about supplier protection and trading practices, whether generally or in a particular trade, business or professional sector;
  • Review of codes - the Agri-Food Regulator may review codes of practice submitted;
  • Information and advice - the Agri-Food Regulator can provide advice to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine about (a) the agricultural and food sector, and (b) agri-food unfair trading law;
  • Consideration of legislation - the Minister may consult the Agri-Food Regulator regarding proposals for legislation relating to any aspect of fairness and transparency in the agri-food supply chain.

 

Please see the new S.I. No. 625 of 2023 Agricultural and Food Supply Chain (Unfair Trading Regulations 2023)
 which are effective from 13 December 2023. The 2021 Regulations have been revoked.

The Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D, has today formally established An Rialálaí Agraibhia - The Agri-Food Regulator under the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Act 2023.

The establishment of the Regulator fulfils a major commitment in the Programme for Government to establish a new independent authority to bring fairness and transparency to the agricultural and food supply chain.

Speaking at its launch Minister McConalogue said:

“This is a major landmark in the history of Ireland’s Agri food sector. I have long advocated for the establishment of this independent authority, and it is a great personal privilege for me, as Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine, to have brought this from its introductory legislation and to be here today on its establishment day. This fulfils a significant commitment in the Programme for Government and one of my priorities during my time in office as Minister.”

“I again acknowledge the widespread support on all sides in the Houses of the Oireachtas for the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Act 2023. I have no doubt that the establishment of the Regulator will protect our Agri-food suppliers, in particular, our farmers, fishers and small food businesses, from unlawful and unfair trading practices in the agricultural and food supply chain and will bring greater transparency to the Agri Food sector. They will do this by publishing analysis of information about price and market data relating to the agricultural and food supply chain and enforcing the rules on unfair trading practices.”

Today also marked the first meeting of the Board of the new Regulator at its new HQ on the Government campus in Backweston in Co. Kildare. Minister McConalogue previously announced that he has appointed Mr Joe Healy as the Chairperson and seven ordinary members to the Board.

Commenting on this the Minister said “In appointing Mr. Joe Healy as Chair of the Board as well as the other seven Members, I am confident the Board and the CEO Niamh Lenehan have the depth and breadth of experience to make the Agri Food Regulator the successful organisation we all want it to be. This boards brings a strong and diverse skillset from across the agri-food sector and beyond to lead this very important Agency.

Commenting on his appointment as Chairperson Mr. Joe Healy said:

“I am delighted to be appointed as Chairperson of the new Agri-Food Regulator today by Minister McConalogue. It is so important that this independent Regulator is in place to promote fairness and transparency in the agri-food supply chain and in particular to have regard to the circumstances and needs of farming, fishing and small food businesses. I look forward to working with both my Board colleagues and the CEO of the Regulator, Niamh Lenehan, to deliver on our mandate.”

Commenting on her formal appointment as CEO of the Regulator after serving since May as CEO-designate, Niamh Lenehan said:

“I very much look forward to sharing the journey ahead with the Board, staff and stakeholders with an immediate focus on the delivery of a statement of strategy and associated workplan underpinned by the powers and functions assigned to the Regulator under the 2023 Act.”

Minister McConalogue also announced that he has introduced new regulations to coincide with the establishment of An Rialálaí Agraibhia replacing the 2021 Regulations introduced under SI 198 of 2021 (European Union (Unfair Trading Practices in the agricultural and food supply chain) Regulations 2021. The new Regulations are necessary to take account of provisions in the Agricultural and Supply Chain Act 2023 relating to the transfer of UTP enforcement functions to the Regulator.

In concluding, Minister Mc Conalogue said:

“The establishment of the Agri-food Regulator to-day is the start of a journey towards increased fairness and transparency in the agricultural and food supply chain. I wish An Rialálaí Agraibhia every success for the future. “

The work of the Office can be followed through its website, www.agrifoodregulator.ie in addition to social media channels.

ENDS

Image: Minister McConalogue announces the formal establishment of An Rialálaí Agraibhia (The Agri-Food Regulator)

Caption: Niamh Lenehan, CEO, AgriFood Regulator, Minister Charlie McConalogue T.D, Joe Healy, Chairperson, AgriFood Regulator

NOTES FOR EDITORS

  • The Chairperson and members were selected following a competition held by the State Boards Appointments service.
  • The Minister brought forward the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022 in line with the Programme for Government commitment to establish a new authority to ensure fairness, equity, and transparency in the food chain. The Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Act 2023 provides for the establishment of a new independent statutory Authority to be known as ‘An Rialálaí Agraibhia’ (Agri-Food Regulator).
  • An Rialálaí Agraibhia will promote the principles of fairness and transparency in the agricultural and food supply chain by performing a price / market analysis and reporting function and will become the State’s designated enforcement authority for enforcing the rules on unfair trading practices in business-to-business relationships in the agricultural and food supply chain. The functions of enforcement of Unfair Trading Practices currently being implemented on an interim basis in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will move to An Rialálaí Agraibhia.
  • Website of An Rialálaí Agraibhia: www.agrifoodregulator.ie

Secondary legislation

  • The existing SI 198 of 2021 lists the 16 UTPs without change to those in the UTP Directive 2019/633. It is necessary introduce new regulations for the purpose of provisions in the Agricultural and Supply Chain Act 2023. The same UTPs as those in SI 198 of 2021 are unchanged in the new regulations in SI 625 of 2023.
  • Directive 2019/633 provided for a 'step' approach to setting the scope of suppliers and buyers for complaint purposes: suppliers and buyers were categorized depending on their annual turnover up to a minimum €2 million for buyers and a maximum €350 million for suppliers. This meant that there were categories of suppliers and buyers and complaints could be made by suppliers depending on what turnover category they were and depending on whether the buyer was in the same turnover category or a different turnover category e.g. suppliers with a max turnover of between €2 million and €10 million could not make a complaint against a buyer whose turnover level also fell into that category.

The turnover category classification in the regulations has been changed to provide for the turnover of the buyer to be higher than €2 million and higher than that of the supplier.

  • In addition, Part 3 of the new regulations outline new compliance reporting requirements for buyers with an annual turnover of more than €50 m. The UTP Enforcement Authority in the DAFM has sought compliance reports on a voluntary basis from buyers. The regulations provide that it will be obligatory for such buyers to submit an annual compliance report to the Regulator.

 

An Cathaoirleach: I welcome Mr. Joe Healy, chairperson designate of An Rialálaí Agraibhia, and wish him the best in his new appointment. He is accompanied by Ms Niamh Lenehan, CEO designate of An Rialálaí Agraibhia. She is very welcome to the meeting.

The full text is now available on the Oireachtas site

The Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD, today announced his intention to appoint Mr Joe Healy as Chairperson of the Board An Rialálaí Agraibhia (Agri Food Regulator). Mr. Healy will be joined by seven ordinary Board members also to be appointed by the Minister. All of the Board appointments will formally commence when the Regulator is formally established which, the Minister announced today, will be on Wednesday 13 December next.

Minister McConalogue said:

“The formal establishment of the new Regulator’s Office is now in sight which is a major milestone in our commitment to bring more fairness and transparency to the agri-food supply chain. Appointing the Board is the next step and I am delighted with the calibre of Board members who have put themselves forward to serve. All have come through a full selection process which has now concluded. I am delighted to confirm my intention to nominate Mr. Joe Healy to be the Chairperson of the Board. Joe brings a vast amount of experience on all aspects of the agricultural and food supply chain. He has the requisite leadership and organisational skills to steer the strategy and governance of the new Regulator as it begins its historic journey to bring greater fairness and transparency to the agri-food sector.”

Minister Mc Conalogue also announced his intention to appoint the following persons as ordinary members to the Board.

  • Mr. John Comer,
  • Ms. Karen Brosnan,
  • Ms. Margaret Dineen,
  • Ms. Elaine Donohue,
  • Mr. Angus Woods,
  • Ms. Grace McCullen
  • Mr. Paul Brophy

On the proposed appointment of the ordinary members, Minister Mc Conalogue said:

“The proposed board members all have expertise in matters relevant to the Regulator’s functions. Their combined experience and knowledge will be of huge benefit to the new body as they support the Chairperson to lead and direct the activities of An Rialálaí Agraibhia as it commences its work and to work with the CEO designate Niamh Lenehan in the effective management of the new Regulator. I am particularly pleased to be in a position to appoint an even gender balance on the Board which helps to fulfil my commitment to improving diversity in our State bodies.

Mr. Joe Healy said:

“I am honoured to be nominated by Minister McConalogue to fulfil this important role as Chair of the first Board of the new Agri-Food Regulator and I look forward to taking up the role in the coming weeks. All stakeholders need to have trust and confidence in the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain and also in this new Regulator and I look forward to working with both my Board colleagues and the CEO of the Regulator, Niamh Lenehan, to put in the place the strategy and functions to deliver on our mandate. It is a hugely positive development for suppliers to now have a Regulator who will provide analysis of information about price and market data as well as having powers to investigate reports of suspected breaches and pursue offences where they occur in unfair trading practices”.

Minister Mc Conalogue also confirmed that the offices of An Rialálaí Agraibhia will be based in the Government shared offices campus in Backweston, Celbridge, Co. Kildare. The first Board meeting of the Office is scheduled for Wednesday 13 December to coincide with the establishment day of the new Office.

This proposed Chairperson and members were selected following a competition held by the State Boards Appointments service.

ENDS

Notes

Proposed Board members

About the proposed Board members:

  • Joe Healy is a dairy and cattle farmer from Athenry and is a former National President of both Macra na Feirme 1995 – 1997 and more recently the IFA 2016 – 2020. He also served as 1st Vice President of COPA (European Farmers Organisation) where he chaired the influential Food Chain Committee. Currently, he is Chairman of “Cultivate” (Credit Unions Agri Finance) and sits on the boards of Self Help Africa, Gurteen Agricultural College, and the European Economic and Social Committee.
  • Mr. John Comer is a dairy farmer from Co. Mayo. He was previously President of the ICMSA and is currently a member of the European Economic and Social Committee
  • Ms. Karen Brosnan has worked as a management consultant in the agri-food sector since 2000, specialising in strategy, governance, and leadership. She was a former Chairperson of Nuffield Ireland and Gurteen College and is currently a Director of AgriAware.
  • Ms. Margaret Dineen has over 20 years of experience managing commercial trading relationships across the fresh food industry. A management consultant and accountant, Margaret now works with SME’s within the Irish Food Industry in developing their supply chain optimisation and commercial business development.
  • Ms. Elaine Donohue is from a farming background. Elaine has a wealth of experience across the breadth and depth of National Food Supply Chains spanning many sectors. Elaine currently works at the helm of Bia Innovator Campus, focused on innovation, incubation, and the sustainability of the grassroots food industry.
  • Mr. Angus Woods is a beef, sheep, and tillage farmer, and is a columnist with the Farming Independent. He is a former President of the EU Civil Dialogue for Animal Products and has served on a number of boards in the agri-food sector including ICBF and Bord Bia's Meat and Livestock board.
  • Ms. Grace McCullen is a strategist and commercial marketer and has worked in food, drink, and agri-business for 25 years with a range of companies. Grace holds an MSc. Digital Marketing & Data Analytics, BSc.Food Business and Dip. Food Science & Technology and grew up on a farm in Co. Meath.
  • Mr. Paul Brophy is a primary producer in the horticulture sector with over 40 years of experience. He is Chairman of Unigreen, a producer organisation of 5 progressive vegetable producers. Paul has formerly served on the horticulture board of Bord Bia and was a former chair of the IFA horticulture sector

Appointments were made pursuant to a State Boards Public Appointments Service process.

Appointments will be effective from Establishment Day of An Rialálaí Agraibhia.

The Minister brought forward the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022 in line with the Programme for Government commitment to establish a new authority to ensure fairness, equity, and transparency in the food chain. The Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Act 2023 provides for the establishment of a new independent statutory Authority to be known as ‘An Rialálaí Agraibhia’ (Agri-Food Regulator).

Section 21 of the Act provides that membership of the agri-food regulator shall consist of a Chairperson and seven Ordinary Members.

An Rialálaí Agraibhia will promote the principles of fairness and transparency in the agricultural and food supply chain by performing a price / market analysis and reporting function and will become the State’s designated enforcement authority for enforcing the rules on unfair trading practices in business-to-business relationships in the agricultural and food supply chain. The functions of enforcement of Unfair Trading Practices currently being implemented on an interim basis in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will move to An Rialálaí Agraibhia.

 


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