Mr. Dermot Breen:

To clarify, the code of practice is not just based on principles and the new code has an accompanying set of rules and procedures, with a methodology for implementation. It began with a set of principles and it has evolved into a comprehensive set of rules and procedures around implementation. It should be fairly effective. We are not the purveyors of the European code but we are just observers and interpreters. There are five directors general in the European Commission dealing with this and it may be worth the committee's time to speak with Commission officials and understand from them the basis and genesis of the code, as they are the experts who have overseen the process from its commencement.

Deputy Ó Cuív also mentioned concerns across Europe. As the Competition Authority indicated, there are healthy tensions in any commercial transaction and they come to the surface. Those are being aired here and at the European Parliament level, and the European Commission is undertaking an investigation and analysis of unfair commercial practices and to what extent they exist in the food supply chain across Europe. The process is being addressed on a European level and it may lead to European solutions if required. We must await that outcome.