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Key Points for the Agri-Food Regulator – A New Opportunity for Fairness in the Food System

Talamh Beo welcomes the establishment of An Rialáláí Agraibhia, ireland’s new Agri-Food Regulator. We believe this body has a vital role to play in restoring fairness, transparency, and justice to the food system. As farmers committed to agroecology and food sovereignty, we offer the following key points for consideration:

 

Ban Below-Cost Selling

  • Introduce and enforce a ban on the sale of food products below the cost of production.
  • Below-cost selling distorts the market, devalues food and farming, and pushes low-input, high-value producers out.
  • Public policy must reward real costs and real value: fair income, ecosystem care, and local livelihoods.

Go Beyond Price Transparency – Expose Power Concentration

  • Publish not just prices, but also processor and retailer margins, and concentration data across each supply chain.
  • Transparency must shine a light on where power and profit accumulate.

Promote Short Supply Chains and Local Markets

  • Short supply chains are central to resilient, local food systems, yet they are often squeezed by dominant purchasing practices.
  • The Regulator should champion policies that support local procurement, small-scale processing, and fair access to markets.

Enable Appropriate-Scale Processing and Innovation

  • Legislation and standards must be adapted to small-scale and appropriate-scale processing and innovation.
  • Many farmers are ready to process and add value on-farm but face barriers in the form of one-size-fits-all food safety and hygiene laws designed for large industry.
  • The Regulator should advocate for specific legal recognition and proportional standards that enable local food producers to thrive, without compromising safety.

Embed Farmer Participation in Decision-Making

  • Regulatory decisions must be shaped by those on the ground.
  • Establish a permanent farmer advisory group with representation from agroecological, small-scale, and marginalised farming groups.

Ensure Fair Treatment for Small and Agroecological Producers

  • The Regulator must actively protect small, diverse and agroecological producers from unfair trading practices, including delayed payments, contract changes, and price manipulation.
  • There must be a specific focus on equity, not just formal equality, to ensure these producers are not left behind.

Uphold a Rights-Based Approach

  • The Regulator should be grounded in the principles of Food Sovereignty and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants (UNDROP).
  • This includes the right to fair income, market access, seed autonomy, and participation in shaping food systems.
 

Talamh Beo is ready to work with the Regulator to help ensure that Ireland’s food system is just, transparent, and fit for the future.

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