Agro-industry

Unfair trade practices, 5 thousand controls in the agri-food sector

At Fruit Logistica Berlin the inspectorate's point: the sectors where there were the most inspections were fruit and vegetables, dairy, wine, cereals and oil.

by Silvia Marzialetti

4 February 2026

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Five thousand controls that probed and sanctioned the grey areas of the agri-food chain:from failure to comply with payment deadlines, to the absence of written contracts, or essential elements of the contract, such as the price, which is too often forgotten. Fruit and vegetables was the sector most 'closely monitored' with 1,900 inspections, followed by dairy, wine, cereals and oil.

Just over four years after the entry into force of Unfair Trade Practices Directive (EU) 2019/633, the first results of the crackdown launched to ensure greater protection for farmers and small suppliers in the agri-food sector are being measured.

The most famous case arising from this directive is the fine imposed in 2024 on the multinational Lactalis, through its subsidiary Italatte, which the Icqrf fined EUR 74,000. But he is not the only one. Taking stock during the opening of Fruitlogistica, in Berlin, is the head of the Central Inspectorate for Quality Protection and Fraud Repression of Agri-Food Products, Felice Assenza. The goal of 5,000 checks was the culmination of an escalating (and still unfinished) journey: "138 checks in 2022, 500 in 2023, 800 in 2024, until it exploded to 3,600 in the year that has just ended," he says.

'To this activity must also be added the strengthening of regulations, which focused on points of sale, in particular onwholesale markets, through the amendment of legislative decree 158 to strengthen the responsibility of fruit and vegetable market owners,' Assenza concludes.

But now the aim is to go further, through a harmonisation of controls at European level. Next week will see the final vote by the Europarliament on the regulation, which aims to make this type of contrast cross-border, to stem the risk that non-EU states might circumvent it, bypassing the EU directive. The aim, also in this case, is to protect small producers.

"We are talking about late payments, unilateral changes or cancellations of orders, refusals of written purchase contracts: all behaviours that those who do business are forced to deal with every day," comments Paolo De Castro, now president of Nomisma, but former MEP and former rapporteur for the Pe of the directive against unfair practices. "The impact has repercussions on consumers, in a race to the bottom that diminishes quality, incentivising exploitation of labour, caporalato and unsustainable practices. And of course on those who produce, with additional costs of almost 5 billion euro per year, and a damage at European level of more than 10 billion".

Last December, the EU Commission presented its report on the state of implementation of the directive, which showed that 90 per cent of European controls were carried out in Spain, Italia, Cyprus and Hungary.

More +8% in volume and +13% in value fruit and vegetable exports in the first 9 months of 2025. These are the figures quoted by the president of Fruitimprese, Marco Salvi, and the president of Cso-Italy, Paolo Bruni, at the opening of the day, while national consumption rose to +5%, after years of decline. Coldiretti and Filiera Italia also recalled the historic export record, which 'remains, however, exposed to strong imbalances along the supply chain and to international competition that jeopardises its economic sustainability'.

'We have an Italia that makes a system and the fruit and vegetable sector is an example of this,' said the Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, speaking at the opening of the Italia pavilion in the Berlin Messe.

"With EUR 18.9 billion in value, 150 thousand companies involved and over a million hectares under cultivation, it represents the leading national sector and accounts for 28% of total agricultural production. It is a heritage that the country system and Europe have a duty to protect and that has entered a phase of violent transition," said the national president of Cia-Agricoltori Italiani, Cristiano Fini. "Between climate crises, geopolitical tensions and trade imbalances, our companies can no longer be left alone to manage the impact of an increasingly unbalanced global market, without common rules, without reciprocity in trade and without adequate income protection".

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Unfair trade practices, 5 thousand controls in the agri-food sector

At Fruit Logistica Berlin the inspectorate's point: the sectors where there were the most inspections were fruit and vegetables, dairy, wine, cereals and oil.

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