The Council of the EU formally adopted on Tuesday 9 April the text of the new directive which will better protect farmers against unfair trading practices (UTPs) in the food supply chain.
Only the United Kingdom abstained from voting on this directive, which will soon be published in the Official Journal of the EU. Member States will have 24 months after the entry into force of the Directive to transpose it into national law and six months to implement its provisions.
The Directive defines a list of prohibited practices, such as payment for perishable products after 30 days after delivery (and payment for non-perishable products after 60 days).
The new rules will protect small and medium-sized suppliers whose annual turnover does not exceed €350 million.
Transparency of markets. In a joint statement by the three EU institutions, the Commission is encouraged to continue its work to enhance market transparency at the EU level. This could include intensifying work on market observatories in the EU and improving the collection of statistical data needed to analyse price formation mechanisms throughout the agricultural and food supply chain. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)