Agri-Food Regulator

What Agri-Food Regulator does

An Rialálaí Agraibhia (Agri-Food Regulator) is an independent statutory office established in December 2023 under the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Act 2023, with its headquarters at Backweston Campus, Celbridge, County Kildare, Ireland. The organisation operates as Ireland's national enforcement authority for EU Directive 2019/633 on unfair trading practices in business-to-business agri-food relationships, with two distinct statutory functions: (i) enforcing Unfair Trading Regulations—through compliance inspections (including unannounced site visits), a confidential complaint and tip-off portal, annual compliance reporting by buyers with turnover above €50 million, and court action where breaches are proven (notably securing two convictions against Asba Meats Ltd, in November 2024 and June 2026); and (ii) Price and Market Data Analysis—delivered through interactive public dashboard reports now spanning seven agricultural sub-sectors (beef, dairy, sheep, egg and poultry, fruit, vegetable, horticulture), backed by the enhanced compulsory data powers granted under the Agri-Food (Price and Marketing Information) Regulations 2025.

The regulated entities comprise Ireland's principal grocery and foodservice buyers—Aldi Stores Ireland, BWG Foods, Dunnes Stores, Lidl Ireland, Marks and Spencer Ireland, Musgrave Group, Sysco Ireland and Tesco Ireland—against whom the second annual supplier survey (conducted by RED C Research, January–February 2026) captured feedback from 485 suppliers spanning 1,313 trading relationships, a 40% increase over the inaugural 2025 survey. Its beneficiaries are primary producers, farmers, fishers, growers and small food businesses across the agri-food supply chain, alongside policymakers and the public who consume its transparency data.

The business model is non-commercial: the Regulator is funded through Irish government appropriation, does not sell products or services, and provides all functions (enforcement, complaints, dashboards, surveys, awareness) free of charge to the public and to regulated entities. The technology footprint is intentionally light—secure web portals for complaints and tip-offs, web-published interactive dashboards, online compliance-report submission and stakeholder email/social distribution—no proprietary technology is developed or licensed. With an original staff complement of 17 being expanded to 22 and EU cross-border enforcement coordination duties arriving under Regulation 2026/697 from September 2027, the office operates at high leverage across enforcement, market-data analysis, compliance reporting and stakeholder engagement functions.

Name

Agri-Food Regulator

Legal name

An Rialálaí Agraibhia

Website

https://agrifoodregulator.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

An Rialálaí Agraibhia (Agri-Food Regulator) is Ireland's independent statutory office, established in 2023, that enforces EU unfair trading law among agri-food buyers and publishes price and market data dashboards across seven agricultural sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Regulatory Services

NAICS

Regulation of Agricultural Marketing and Commodities (92614), Regulation of Agricultural Marketing and Commodities (926140)

akta.pro primary industry

Agriculture, Fisheries & Food Administration (BPAIAAAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Standards, Labeling & Claims Regulation (HLAJAEAB), Labeling & Claims Compliance Review (Nutrition, Allergen, Country-of-Origin) (AFALADAF), Energy, Utilities & Natural Resources Regulators (BPAIAOAJ)

Keywords

• Agricultural regulatory services
• Unfair trading enforcement
• Market data analysis
• Agri-food supply chain
• Statutory compliance oversight

Headquarters

HQ city

Celbridge

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: The Agri-Food Regulator is a statutory government agency funded by the Irish government. It does not generate commercial revenue from products or services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Agri-Food Regulator is an independent statutory regulatory office of the Irish State that enforces the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Act 2023 across the Irish agri-food supply chain. It investigates complaints about unfair trading practices, conducts annual compliance inspections of regulated buyers (those with turnover above €50 million), and publishes price and market data analysis including sector-specific interactive dashboards covering beef, dairy, egg and poultry, fruit, vegetable, horticulture, and sheep markets.

Product overview

An Rialálaí Agraibhia (Agri-Food Regulator) is an independent statutory Office established under the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Act 2023, tasked with promoting fairness and transparency in the agri-food supply chain. The organization operates two core and distinct functions: (1) Enforcement of Unfair Trading Regulations as the national Enforcement Authority for EU Directive 2019/633, including conducting compliance inspections, processing complaints, and managing annual compliance reporting for large buyers; and (2) Price and Market Data Analysis, which includes publishing interactive dashboard reports across seven agricultural sectors (Beef, Dairy, Egg & Poultry, Fruit, Vegetable, Horticulture, and Sheep). The offering consists of regulatory enforcement services, data transparency dashboards, complaint handling mechanisms (including online submission forms and confidential tip-off facilities), and annual supplier surveys.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Price and Market Data Analysis Publishes wholesale, retail, and farm-gate price data across the Irish agri-food supply chain through sector-specific interactive dashboards. Intended for agri-food suppliers, buyers, policymakers, journalists, researchers, and the public who need transparency on prices along the supply chain.
• Unfair Trading Law Enforcement Investigation and enforcement of unfair trading practices across the Irish agri-food supply chain under the 2023 Act, including the power to issue compliance notices and conduct inspections of regulated buyers with turnover above €50 million.
• Online Complaint Submission Online portal allowing suppliers to submit complaints about alleged unfair trading practices in the Irish agri-food supply chain for investigation by the regulator.
• Confidential Tip-Off Facility Confidential channel for anonymous reporting of suspected unfair trading practices in the agri-food supply chain, complementing the regulator's enforcement intake.
• Compliance Inspections On-site compliance inspections of regulated buyers in the Irish agri-food supply chain (those with turnover above €50 million) under the 2023 Act.
• Annual Compliance Reporting for Buyers Mandatory annual compliance reporting programme for regulated buyers (processors, wholesalers, retailers, packers, distributors, food service operators, brokers/agents, and producer organisations) with annual turnover above €50 million.
• Beef Market Dashboard Interactive dashboard publishing weekly wholesale, retail, and farm-gate prices for the Irish beef market, providing transparency along the beef supply chain.
• Dairy Market Dashboard Interactive dashboard publishing weekly wholesale, retail, and farm-gate prices for the Irish dairy sector to support supply-chain price transparency.
• Egg and Poultry Market Dashboard Interactive dashboard publishing weekly wholesale, retail, and farm-gate prices for the Irish egg and poultry sectors to support supply-chain price transparency.
• Fruit Market Dashboard Interactive dashboard publishing weekly wholesale, retail, and farm-gate prices for the Irish fruit sector to support supply-chain price transparency.
• Vegetable Market Dashboard Interactive dashboard publishing weekly wholesale, retail, and farm-gate prices for the Irish vegetable sector to support supply-chain price transparency.
• Horticulture Market Dashboard Interactive dashboard publishing weekly wholesale, retail, and farm-gate prices for the Irish horticulture sector to support supply-chain price transparency.
• Sheep Market Dashboard Interactive dashboard publishing weekly wholesale, retail, and farm-gate prices for the Irish sheep sector to support supply-chain price transparency.
• Supplier Surveys Survey programme engaging Irish agri-food suppliers to capture data on trading relationships and market conditions, supporting the regulator's market data analysis function.

Quantifiable outcome

• 11% of suppliers reported experiencing unfair trading practices (down from 14% in first survey)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• RED C ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Conducts annual supplier surveys on behalf of the Agri-Food Regulator. Conducted both the first annual supplier survey (Coyne Research in 2025) and second annual supplier survey (RED C Research in 2026), gathering feedback from agri-food suppliers on their trading experiences with specific buyers.
• Coyne ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Conducted the first annual supplier survey in 2025, gathering feedback from 306 suppliers on over 940 trading relationships regarding experiences with unfair trading practices.
• European CommissionmajorOthersThe European Commission published its first evaluation report on the Unfair Trading Practices Directive in December 2025, finding encouraging signs of positive impact. The Council of the EU and European Parliament provisionally agreed on new Regulation for cross-border enforcement cooperation.
• EU Enforcement AuthoritiesmajorOthersUnder EU Regulation 2026/697 (entering force September 2027), national enforcement authorities will exchange information and coordinate enforcement actions across EU member states through a mutual assistance mechanism.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• DGCCRF (Direction Générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des Fraudes): French competition, consumer affairs and fraud control directorate enforcing UTPs and food supply chain rules across France. Comparable enforcement function but materially broader mandate covering consumer protection and competition policy.
• EFSA (European Food Safety Authority): EU-level food risk assessment body providing scientific advice that underpins EU food supply chain regulation. Broader, pan-European remit with advisory rather than enforcement role.

Others

• Bord Bia (Irish Food Board): Irish state agency promoting Irish food and drink exports and overseeing producer quality schemes. Adjacent rather than competitive — operates in market development and promotion where the Regulator operates in compliance and transparency.
• Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Ireland): Parent Irish government department sponsoring the Agri-Food Regulator's statutory framework and granting it powers (e.g. via the 2025 Price and Marketing Information Regulations). Comparable as a public-sector counterpart rather than as a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Groceries Code Adjudicator: UK statutory adjudicator enforcing the Groceries Supply Code of Practice between the 10 largest UK grocery retailers and their direct suppliers. Closest functional analogue to the Agri-Food Regulator: dedicated UTP enforcement body for an agri-food supply chain in a single jurisdiction.
• Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI): Ireland's statutory body for food safety, food law enforcement and consumer protection in food. A domestic peer operating in the same regulatory landscape, with overlapping scope on food supply chain compliance.
• AICA (Agencia de Información y Control Alimentarios): Spanish state agency responsible for monitoring, control and disciplinary action on unfair trading practices in the agri-food supply chain under Spain's Law 12/2013. Directly comparable mandate, enforcement toolkit, and B2B agri-food focus.

Regional players

• NÉBIH (Nemzeti Élelmiszerlánc-biztonsági Hivatal): Hungarian national food chain safety office with responsibility for food safety, animal health, plant protection and supply chain integrity. Comparable statutory scope, but in a different Member State market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/agrifoodreg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@agrifoodregulator
• Facebookfacebook.com/agrifoodregulator
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/agri-food-regulator
• Instagraminstagram.com/agrifoodregulator

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Agri-Food Regulator