Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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476. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will establish a dedicated sectoral regulator to enforce the EU directive on unfair trading practices in the agricultural and food supply chain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41049/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Directive (EU) 2019/633 on Unfair Trading Practices in Business-to-Business Relationships in the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain (UTP Directive), came into force on 30 April 2019. EU Law requires that the Directive must be transposed into national law by 1 May 2021 and will apply in national law no later than from 1 November 2021

The UTP Directive requires the establishment of an Enforcement Authority, which can be a new or existing authority, to discharge the duties of the UTP Directive.

A working group established between officials from my Department and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (DBEI) in April this year continues to work to explore the policy, resource and operational implications of transposing and enforcing the Directive. This working group is finalising a stakeholder consultation process which will invite submissions from interested parties on the transposition and enforcement of the EU Directive, including on the form the Enforcement Authority should take. This consultation will be launched shortly.