The Irish Farm Film Producers’ Group (IFFPG) has agreed to implement a series of changes for farm plastics recycling to "ensure competition".

These changes are designed to "enhance transparency, promote competition and improve farmer choice" within Ireland’s farm plastics recycling scheme, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has said.

These changes follow engagement between IFFPG and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition (DG COMP).

The CCPC, as Ireland’s national competition authority, said in announcement today (Wednesday, April 29), that it will monitor the implementation of these and any future changes arising from that engagement.

Following discussions with DG COMP, IFFPG proposed changes that would "improve the scheme and ensure compliance with Articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU".

This is in view of "competition concerns raised by market participants", the CCPC said.

Farm plastics

Under waste management regulations, producers and suppliers of certain farm plastics, such as silage wrapping, pit covers and netting, must ensure that the plastic waste arising from the products they place on the market is collected and recovered.

IFFPG operates Ireland’s national farm plastics recycling scheme through bring centres and its authorised waste collectors. 

All new farm plastics placed on the Irish market carry a unique identifying code.

This enables IFFPG to trace the products placed on the market by its members and allows farmers to access a lower collection fee when returning waste plastics through authorised collectors. 

IFFPG applies a weight-based collection charge to farmers for the waste it collects.

It also charges a levy to its members on each unit of farm plastic they place on the market.

This levy, which is typically passed down the supply chain to farmers as the end customer, funds the operation of the national recycling scheme.

'Competition concerns'

In early 2024, DG COMP began engagement with IFFPG regarding aspects of the recycling scheme’s operation, which had the "potential to raise competition concerns and impact its members, farmers and those operating in the waste collection sector".

Following discussions, the IFFPG has agreed to make changes to the recycling scheme, the CCPC has confirmed.

Agreed changes include the following:

IFFPG has removed the obligation on its members, who pay the levy in the first instance, to pass its levy down the supply chain. IFFPG members are free to decide if and how much of that cost will be passed down;
IFFPG continues to require farmers to provide a label code on proof of purchase at collections in order to allow IFFPG to trace legal purchases of farm plastic;
The bar code will no longer be needed as proof of full or partial payment of the levy, nor will it affect the price charged at the collection point but the label code is still required to prove legal purchase of farm plastics;
IFFPG now offers authorised waste collectors the opportunity to charge less than the recommended collection charge to farmers;
Farmers can continue to use whatever bring centre they like, regardless of county boundaries.

The CCPC said it will "monitor the implementation of these commitments".