The Department of Agriculture is on the hunt to fill the role of CEO of the new Office of Fairness and Transparency in the Agri-Food Supply Chain, expected to be established by the end of the year. In a job description provided for interested candidates, the Department has laid out the responsibilities the successful individual will have.

While noting that the role holder will likely be based working in Dublin initially, the job description suggests that long-term, the office will be headquartered away from the capital. The CEO appointment is a temporary position and will be a fixed-term contract for a period of no more than five years from the date of appointment.

The CEO’s salary will depend on their experience and current role and will land on a scale between €98,593 and €121,586, with annual increases possible based off the individual’s performance.

Responsibilities

The CEO will have a “key role in promoting and enforcing fairness for, in particular, primary producers and smaller food businesses”, according to the Department.

The role holder will engage with stakeholders across the agri-food supply chain, including large multinational retail buyers, wholesalers, processors, co-operatives, farming representative organisations, farmers, fishers, food businesses, the food service sector as well as the European Commission, relevant authorities in other EU member states, Government bodies and the media.

The CEO will be required to regularly engage with agri-food stakeholders including farm organisation leaders. \ Finbarr O’Rourke

The office CEO will ensure there is “increased availability” of market and price information in relation to the agri-food sector. Using this information, they will produce and publish regular reports and will focus on specific sectors from time to time.

While the legislative powers of the new Office of Fairness and Transparency in the Agri-Food Supply Chain are not yet clear, the Department says the CEO will “enforce compliance with the rules on unfair trading practices provided for by national and EU legislation”.

They will “conduct investigations on the initiative of the Office into possible unfair trading practices [and] where necessary, the outcomes of which will be published”.

The office CEO will “actively promote and encourage fair trading practices by buyers of agricultural and food products”.

Oireachtas

The role holder will also be required to attend meetings of the Oireachtas Committee of Public Accounts and other Oireachtas committees as necessary or when invited, and to discharge any other responsibilities that are conferred on the CEO under legislation.

The Office of Fairness and Transparency in the Agri-Food Supply Chain will have a board, the make up of which is not yet known, nor is the types of stakeholders that may be appointed to it, and who will make those appointments. The CEO will report to and be accountable to this board.

Qualifications

The Department is seeking applications for the role from individuals who have a qualification of at least Level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), preferably in economics, finance, law, business or agricultural science.

Applicants must have a minimum of five years of “relevant senior management employment experience” in the agriculture, food, drink or horticulture sectors or in the public service.

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has said the new food ombudsman will be established by the end of the year.

They must also demonstrate the “ability to lead strategic change within a complex stakeholder environment” and a “forward-looking approach with vision, creativity and a high degree of personal effectiveness.”

More information about the role is available here.

Read more

Food ombudsman office to be ‘up and running’ by year end - minister