Legal status of farmers involved in short food supply chains, a comparative study
Anna Maria Kapała
Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences , Polandhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-8554-6517
Abstract
The legal status of farmers involved in food marketing is not determined by the EU legislator, however, EU policy encourages farmers’ participation in short food supply chains. The article aims to determine whether a farmer selling his products, both processed and unprocessed is subject to a favourable legal regime intended for the agricultural sector, or whether this activity qualifies him as a commercial entrepreneur. The legislation of three EU Member States and the law of the USA were subject to a comparative legal analysis, based on the dogmatic method. The study found that under the EU Member States’ law, farmers involved in short food supply chains are granted a privileged agricultural status, which certainly strengthens their market position in competition with food businesses and big retailers and is an incentive to undertake and conduct the activity of agri-food marketing. In turn, under American law, agricultural activity and direct marketing are economic activities that cause farmers to operate within a business as an entrepreneur. The main tool to support the participation of US farmers in short food supply chains is financial programmes offering incentives to direct marketing. It was concluded that the systemic legal solutions, as in the presented legislation of the EU countries, in contrast to aid programmes, provides farmers with favourable conditions in the long term, without additional bureaucracy and the need to fill out documents and applications, thus giving them a sense of confidence and stability in engaging in food direct marketing.
Keywords:
short food supply chains, agricultural activity definition, Italian law, French law, USA lawReferences
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Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences
Dr., Assistant Professor, Faculty of Life Sciences and Technology, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences; correspondence address: ul. Grunwaldzka 24a, 50-375 Wrocław, Poland.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8554-6517
