The CCPC has recommended that a new dedicated grocery sector
regulator be established in light of the proposed EU Directive on
Unfair Trading Practices (COM (2018)173) (the
"Directive"). The CCPC is currently the
responsible regulator under the similar existing Grocery Goods
Undertakings Regulations 2016 (the "Grocery
Regulations"). This CCPC recommendation may influence
the outcome of the public consultation on how to implement the
Directive, to which Matheson has contributed.
Speaking at the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the
Marine on 18 October 2018, Ms Isolde Goggin, chairperson of the
CCPC, suggested that a new dedicated regulator should oversee the
grocery sector, on the basis that the Directive's aim to
"ensure a fair standard of living for farmers"
is a significant departure from the Grocery Regulations. More
specifically, the CCPC suggested that there would be an
unacceptable tension between possible further additions to the
Directive, including
