knowledge 29 June 2026 |

The Proof is in the Polling: Key Takeaways from the Agri-Food Regulator 2026 Supplier Survey

On 24 June 2026, the Agri-Food Regulator published the results of its second annual Supplier Survey, offering a detailed insight into the experience of suppliers within Ireland’s agri-food sector. While overall compliance with the rules in relation to ‘unfair trading practices’ remains relatively strong, the findings of the survey highlight the ongoing commercial pressures and structural imbalances in buyer-supplier relationships.

Survey Overview

The 2026 Supplier Survey was open to respondents between 21 January and 18 February this year and captured feedback from 1,313 relationships between 485 suppliers and 8 designated major retail and wholesale buyers. These buyers were comprised of: Aldi Ireland, BWG Foods, Dunnes Stores, Lidl Ireland, Marks & Spencer Ireland, Musgrave Group, Sysco Ireland, and Tesco Ireland. This represented a 40% increase in trading relationships assessed compared to the 2025 survey.

Key Findings

Commercial Pressures

The survey results acknowledged that suppliers are facing continued commercial pressures with almost one in four (24%) noting pricing strategies and cost management as a primary concern, with pricing pressures (15%) and market volatility (14%) ranking closely behind.

Suppliers also reported a persistent margin squeeze due to rising costs and a limited ability to pass such costs onto buyers. Furthermore, a structural imbalance within the supply chain was also heavily reported with suppliers stating that buyers have control of if, when, and how prices may change. This dynamic continues to place suppliers, particularly SMEs, at a disadvantage in negotiations.

Unfair Trading Practices

Overall, the Agri-Food Regulator reported a high-level of compliance with the rules on unfair trading practices (“UTPs”) with one in nine respondents reporting being subjected to an UTP, an improvement on the one in seven seen in the 2025 report.

The most commonly reported prohibited UTPs included cancellation of perishable products with less than 30 days’ notice (4% of respondents), payment later than 30 days for perishable products (3%) and payment later than 60 days for perishable products (3%).

The most common conditional UTPs (those only prohibited if not previously agreed in advance), included:

• the buyer requiring the supplier to bear all or part of the cost of any discounts on the supplier’s products that are sold as part of a promotion (2% of respondents);
• the buyer returning unsold products to the supplier without paying for those unsold products or without paying for the disposal of those products (1%); and
• the buyer requiring payment for the supplier as a condition for stocking, displaying, or listing of the supplier’s product or of making such products available on the market (1%).

Despite these reported issues, many suppliers showed a reluctance to escalate matters and report UTP incidents to the Agri-Food Regulator. Fear of retaliation as well as concern over damaging the relationship with buyers and the resulting loss of business were the main reasons cited behind suppliers’ decisions not to report UTPs.

Confidential Complaints Process

The survey results indicate an improved awareness of the Agri-Food Regulator’s confidential complaints process. However, some suppliers remain uncertain about how to engage with it effectively, indicating a need for further guidance and outreach by the Agri-Food Regulator on the process.

Buyer-Supplier Communication

Suppliers reported that buyer-supplier relationships were strongest when there was regular communication, easy access to decision-makers, and a mutual willingness to engage and work towards solutions. However, poor communication, limited access to buyers, delayed payments, and pricing pressures were identified as material detriments to the relationships.

Increasing Powers of the Agri-Food Regulator

The results of this survey have been released in advance of the Agri-Food Regulator’s new information powers under the Agri-Food (Price and Marketing Information) Regulations 2025 (the “Regulations”) taking effect later this year.  Under the Regulations, the Agri-Food Regulator will have the power to compel businesses to provide relevant market information in order to improve transparency across Ireland’s supply chains.

A failure to comply with an information notice or providing false or misleading information is an offence under the Regulations and the Agri-Food Regulator will be entitled to issue fines for non-compliance. (For further information, please find our previous briefing here).  An appeals mechanism for businesses is also due to be established in the coming months.

What’s next?

Against this backdrop, businesses operating in the agri-food sector should anticipate increased scrutiny by the Agri-Food Regulator on their business practices and take proactive steps to assess their compliance with the rules on unfair trading practices. This includes reviewing supplier and buyer agreements, evaluating internal processes relating to pricing, payments and promotions, and strengthening internal record-keeping practices in anticipation of potential information requests. It will also be important to ensure that commercial teams are appropriately trained to identify and manage UTP risks as they arise.

For further information on any of the issues raised in this briefing, please contact our Agri-Food team at McCann FitzGerald LLP.