Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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626. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps that have been taken at European Council of Ministers level to agree a common EU framework on rules governing the food chain, considering the recent failure to find agreement on a definition of an unfair trading practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34410/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The issue of a common EU framework to help deal with unfair trading practices has been discussed in recent months by the Council of Agriculture Ministers in the context of strengthening the position of farmers in the food supply chain, which has in turn been raised repeatedly by EU Member States as we have dealt with the difficulties that have beset agricultural markets over the last eighteen months. Indeed, the importance of the need to strengthen farmers’ position in the food supply chain led to the establishment last January of the Agricultural Markets Task Force, which presented its report to the Agri-Fish Council in Brussels earlier today.

More particularly as regards unfair trading practices, the Slovak Presidency made “strengthening the position of farmers in the food supply chain” the topic of its informal meeting in Bratislava in September. I took the opportunity to again emphasise Ireland’s view in relation to the usefulness of having an EU-wide legislative framework governing unfair trading practices.

While many of the points raised by Ireland, including in relation to unfair trading practices, appear to have been addressed in the Task Force’s report, I look forward to considering its contents in detail in due course. I also look forward to the Commission’s follow-up actions over the coming period.