Ireland: Pledge to ban fruit, veg sales below cost

Fianna Fáil has promised to move to ban the "predatory" below-cost selling of vegetables, fruit and potatoes by large supermarket multiples and to remove the red tape frustrating farmers on a daily basis.

In its new agriculture policy, the party has pledged that family farming should remain the mainstay of Irish farming as opposed to corporate farming.

It has also promised to remove unannounced farm inspections and to adjust the penalties to ensure that they are proportionate.

The party launched its agriculture and food policy, entitled 'Securing Fair Prices and Increased Profitability for Farmers', at the Ploughing Championships yesterday, outlining its intentions if successful in the General Election.

The policy document says that farming must remain an attractive and profitable enterprise in all regions.

Éamon Ó Cuív, the Fianna Fáil spokesman for agriculture, speaking at the launch with party leader Micheál Martin, said making farming attractive would reduce the risk of land abandonment and ensure its future.

Source: independent.ie