By Yasmine EDDAM
17 April 2025
Far from being an isolated player, the modern farmer is at the heart of a complex network of economic relationships. He engages in dialogue, negotiation and contracts with his suppliers upstream, his customers downstream (cooperatives, manufacturers, distributors, consumers), and has to deal with a dense regulatory framework, including competition rules. The way in which these relationships are legally governed is crucial to the viability and development of the business. This context is part of the wider legal framework of contemporary agriculture. This article looks at the main rules governing farmers' involvement in the market. We will look at specific contracts such as integration contracts, the often tense relations with supermarkets, measures aimed at rebalancing negotiations through contractualisation and mediation, contracts signed with the authorities to support certain practices, and lastly, the special rules governing agriculture under competition law. Integration contracts...
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