EU Commissioner: new regulation strengthens protection for farmers and smaller suppliers in the food chain

By: Trademagazin Date: 2026. 02. 13. 10:20

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The European Union’s directive against unfair trading practices in the agricultural and food supply chain (UTP) is a key step in protecting farmers and smaller suppliers, EU Commissioner Marta Kos said in Strasbourg on Thursday.

During the plenary session of the EU Parliament, the Commissioner stressed that the regulation is about basic fairness, about ensuring that smaller market players are given the respect they deserve, receive fair compensation for their work and are not forced to bear disproportionate risks from more powerful buyers.

He also pointed out that rules on paper alone are not enough. “A law is only as strong as its enforcement,” he said.

In the single market, where large quantities of agricultural products and food cross borders every day, protection cannot stop at national borders. Suppliers should also be able to rely on substantive safeguards even if their customer is located in another Member State, he added. He stressed that the new EU law on cross-border cooperation, which strengthens the implementation of the UTP Directive, serves precisely this purpose, as it strengthens cooperation and mutual assistance between national enforcement authorities, closing loopholes that could be exploited through cross-border structures. The Commissioner believes that it is particularly important that voluntary cooperation on stricter national rules – with appropriate guarantees and full participation of authorities – is in addition to its discretionary powers – it may also extend to certain investigative measures beyond the request for information, without the forced, extraterritorial application of national law.

If the investigation concerns buyers established outside the EU, the authority may request the designation of an EU contact point in order to facilitate cooperation, without undue administrative burdens – he added.

In his speech, Fidesz MEP Csaba Dömötör pointed out that multinational retail chains have a significant dominant position over farmers, therefore the opportunities for producers to assert their interests must be strengthened.

He drew attention to the fact that it is an increasingly common practice for multinational retail chains to place their procurements in several member states. He said that in such cases, when controversial issues arise, farmers are at a significant disadvantage.

“For example, they do not know the rules, procedures, or even the official language in the other country” – he said. He added that the current proposal aims to strengthen farmers’ opportunities to assert their interests in these situations. Csaba Dömötör said that they support this goal and will vote for the proposal, but at the same time – as he said – this in itself is not enough.

In his speech, he also touched on the European Commission’s trade policy plans. The representative said: to hear that the commission would implement the EU-Mercosur agreement despite the fact that the European Parliament is taking the matter to court. According to the politician, this is being forced by the People’s Party coalition.

He stressed: it is not acceptable if the European Parliament is bypassed, but it is absolutely unacceptable if the will of the farmers is not taken into account.

Csaba Dömötör asked the committee representative present to consult with President Ursula von der Leyen and abandon the plan. He warned: otherwise, even bigger farmer protests can be expected.