With our in-depth knowledge of these sectors, our specialist team can guide you through the regulatory regime on food and feed safety; food and feed hygiene and HACCP; food packaging, labelling, advertising and marketing of food and drink products; and nutrition and health claims and restrictions on allergens and additives. We also advise our clients on regulatory compliance issues, including good manufacturing practice requirements, which may provide a defence in regulatory proceedings. We can guide you through your obligations on waste packaging, food waste and animal by-products. We can also advise on carbon footprinting and carbon-labelling.

We provide comprehensive and strategic advice, both at the pre-litigation stage and in contentious and non-contentious cases, in relation to the anticipation and management of risk, product recall and crisis management strategies.

We also advise on regulatory breach, enforcement proceedings, product safety and liability, nuisance, environmental breach and on any associated litigation. In doing so, we will work with you to ensure that your business reputation, brand reputation and financial interests are protected.

We understand the opportunities for our clients presented by the growth of the food, agribusiness, aquaculture, beverage and distillery sectors and we assist clients, from producers and manufacturers to distributors and retailers, to exploit those opportunities to maximum effect. We are keen to assist food and agribusiness companies in playing their part in delivering on Ireland’s Food Harvest 2020 targets and the objectives set out in the Organic Food Sector Strategy 2019 – 2025.

Arthur Cox is one of the few Irish law firms to have a specialist, multidisciplinary Food & Agri Group, comprising lawyers from key practice groups within the firm. The group advises food, drink and agribusiness companies on the manufacture, promotion and sale of their products in Ireland. We regularly advise some of the largest Irish food, drink and agribusiness companies on complex M&A transactions and restructurings.

Relevant Experience

• Advising Kerry Group plc on the disposal of its consumer foods, meats and meals business to Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation and also on its acquisition of Niacet Corporation
• Advising Total Produce plc on numerous matters and transactions including most recently on its combination with Dole Food Company, Inc. and subsequent IPO of Dole plc
• Advising Bradán Beo Teoranta, an organic salmon fish farming company, on all land use planning and environmental matters concerning its litigation and regulatory approvals for its West of Ireland commercial enterprise
• Advising Coillte Forest (the National Forestry Board) on all forestry matters
• Advising Glanbia plc on numerous matters and transactions including the establishment of Glanbia Ireland and the joint venture with its majority shareholder, Glanbia Co-operative Society Limited
• Advising Dawn Meats Group on its investment in the French company, Elivia, and on its joint venture in Northern Ireland with the Dunbia Group
• Advising Dairygold Co-operative Society Limited as one of two Notice parties (the other being its joint venture partner, TINE – Norway’s largest dairy co-operative) in Judicial Review proceedings in relation to the grant of a joint EPA Industrial Emissions Licence for a state of the art €120 million Jarlsberg Cheese Production Plant at Mogeely Co Cork
• Advising Kilkenny Cheese Limited, a member of the Glanbia Group, on defending a Judicial Review challenge to the planning consent for its proposed continental cheese manufacturing plant in Co. Kilkenny
• Advising Westland Horticulture Limited, Cavan Peat Limited and Westmeath Peat Limited on litigation related to historic peat harvesting activities
• Advising Greencore Group plc on numerous matters including the disposal of its malt business, its acquisition of Freshtime UK Ltd and the acquisition of Greencore USA, Inc. by Hearthside Food Solutions LLC
• Advised Bord Iascaigh Mhara on its aquaculture and foreshore licence applications for the Deep Sea Project in Galway Bay
• Advising Donegal Investments Group on the sale of its animal feed business, including its stevedoring subsidiary, to Fane Valley Co-Operative Society Limited
• Advising Origin Enterprises plc on its acquisition of a 65% interest in Fortgreen Commercial Agricola Ltds and a 20% shareholding in Ferrari E Zaggato Cia Ltd (Brazil)