Ralf Van De Beek, International Director of LVVN, and Julius Seinen, Policy Adviser, provided welcome introduction to the Ministry.

Henk Eggink, Coordinator to agrimarkets LVVN, delivered an insightful presentation that covered key topics, indicated by the Ukrainian dairy side as important for understanding due to Ukraine’s EU integration path – Common Market Organisation (#CMO) and Unfair Trading Practices (#UTP), – making the meeting both highly informative and engaging. The delegation found the experience particularly interesting and enriching, gaining valuable knowledge about the NL industry’s best practices. The key points:

The EU’s Common Market Organisation (CMO) is a set of rules and instruments within the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to manage and support agricultural market. It provides tools for market intervention, marketing standards, sectoral rules, trade measures, competition and state-aid provisions, as well as EU-wide market transparency through dedicated observatories. Main discussion was focused on CMO’s area ‘Producer organisations and associations, and inter-branch organisations’ and Dutch dairy best practices of it.

The Dutch framework for Unfair Trading Practices (UTP), introduced in 2021, aims to protect smaller suppliers in negotiations with larger buyers. Written contracts are not obligatory; however, suppliers can request written confirmation of agreed-upon terms, and refusal is considered a UTP. Oversight is handled by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets, as well as a Dispute Resolution Board. The system is built around a clear blocklist of prohibited behaviours — late payments, unilateral contract changes, and last-minute cancellations — and a grey list of practices allowed only when agreed upon in writing, such as shifting storage, marketing, or promotion costs to suppliers.

Activities of the Dutch dairy associations and LVVN focus on more vigorous UTP enforcement and, for dairy, the implementation of mandatory written contracts. The new Agri-Food Chain Observatory (#AFCO) enhances price transparency and provides deeper insight into market dynamics.

Our sincere thanks to the #LVVN and its team at the #DutchEmbassy in #Ukraine who made our tour so interesting and inspiring, providing us with valuable insights and a truly memorable experience.