The Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA): makingrules aand complaint
guidance
How the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator operates and how to make a formal complaint toor thecontact Agriculturalus Supplyin Chain Adjudicator. confidence.
- From:
- Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
- Published
- 8 July 2024
- Last updated
-
1828SeptemberFebruary20242025 — See all updates
Documents
ASCAWhat complainthappens referralif form
MSa Wordformal Document,complaint 49.2is KB
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Statutory Guidance for the Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024
PDF, 193 KB, 11 pages
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Additional Guidance for the Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024
PDF, 248 KB, 19 pages
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Details
The Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA) enforces the Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 20242024. (FDOM24The ASCA), acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for DefraEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs, will carry out the enforcement functions under the Regulations.
FromThe regulations came into force in the UK on 9 July 2024, theand regulationsthey apply to all new contracts made for the purchase of milk from a producer.
There is a transition period of 12 months for existing agreements, after which all such contracts will need to be compliant with the regulationsRegulations by 9 July 2025.
ThisThe ASCA will guidanceinvestigate willrelevant helpcomplaints producersabout understandmilk FDOM24purchase contracts raised by producers.
Where the ASCA, finds that a purchaser has failed to comply with a requirement under the regulations, the ASCA may require the purchaser to pay a civil penalty or compensation or both.
The maximum amount of a civil penalty is 1% of the purchaser’s turnover, to be paid into the government’s consolidated fund.
Any unpaid civil penalty can be recovered as a debt.
The ASCA will also review the regulations within the first 5 years of them being made, and makeat complaints.least every 5 years after that, and publish a report setting out the conclusions of each review.
The ASCA will be committed to engaging with industry and making sure the Regulations are understood and complied with.
Updates to this page
Published 8 July 2024
Last updated 1828 SeptemberFebruary 2024
2025
+ show all updates
-
A link to information about how to raise an issue with ASCA in confidence has been added
-
Updated the details section to say that the Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024 are now in place. They apply to all new contracts made for the purchase of milk from a producer. We have also added Welsh translations.
-
-
First published.
Sign up for emails or print this page
Details
The Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA) enforces the Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 20242024. (FDOM24The ASCA), acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for DefraEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs, will carry out the enforcement functions under the Regulations.
FromThe regulations came into force in the UK on 9 July 2024, theand regulationsthey apply to all new contracts made for the purchase of milk from a producer.
There is a transition period of 12 months for existing agreements, after which all such contracts will need to be compliant with the regulationsRegulations by 9 July 2025.
ThisThe ASCA will guidanceinvestigate willrelevant helpcomplaints producersabout understandmilk FDOM24purchase contracts raised by producers.
Where the ASCA, finds that a purchaser has failed to comply with a requirement under the regulations, the ASCA may require the purchaser to pay a civil penalty or compensation or both.
The maximum amount of a civil penalty is 1% of the purchaser’s turnover, to be paid into the government’s consolidated fund.
Any unpaid civil penalty can be recovered as a debt.
The ASCA will also review the regulations within the first 5 years of them being made, and makeat complaints.least every 5 years after that, and publish a report setting out the conclusions of each review.
The ASCA will be committed to engaging with industry and making sure the Regulations are understood and complied with.
Updates to this page
Last updated
-
A link to information about how to raise an issue with ASCA in confidence has been added
-
Updated the details section to say that the Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024 are now in place. They apply to all new contracts made for the purchase of milk from a producer. We have also added Welsh translations.
-
First published.
Sign up for emails or print this page
Update history
2025-06-25 10:31
Added new statutory and additional guidance on the Fair Dealing Obligations (Pigs) Regulations 2025, which come into force on 13 August 2025.
2025-06-11 16:35
Updated the ‘Additional Guidance for the Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024’. There is additional information on the conditions when the prohibition on tiered pricing in exclusive agreements does not apply (see point 38). This follows an amendment to the Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) 2024 made in the Fair Dealing Obligations (Pigs) Regulations 2025.
2025-02-28 17:20
A link to information about how to raise an issue with ASCA in confidence has been added
2024-09-18 16:12
Updated the details section to say that the Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024 are now in place. They apply to all new contracts made for the purchase of milk from a producer. We have also added Welsh translations.
2024-07-08 16:47
First published.