Just one third of farmers are confident that the Agri-Food Regulator can protect them from unfair trading practices (UTPs), a new survey has revealed.

Established in December 2023, the regulator is tasked with promoting fairness and transparency across all stages of the supply chain.

According to the survey, there is a high recognition among farmers of the regulator, with 78% of respondents indicating that they have heard of it.

Just over half of those familiar with the body are aware of its role in protecting producers.

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%).

Raising the issue

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."

Since this survey was conducted in October, the regulator has had its first successful prosecution for a breach of a UTP.

Lenehan added that the survey results indicate that more work needs to be done by the regulator to increase awareness and understanding of UTPs among producers.

"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," she said.