EU

Crunch time: Kellogg’s warns government on proposed EU payment periods

Dara Lawlor, Kellanova Europe president, wrote to Dara Calleary, the junior enterprise minister, criticising the European Commission’s ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach

The new proposal would introduce a maximum payment term of 30 days for all commercial transactions across the EU. Picture: Lindsey Nicholson

New EU rules around late payments will reduce the competitiveness of European food manufacturers, Kellogg’s has warned the government.

In a letter to Dara Calleary, the junior enterprise minister, Dave Lawlor, the president of Kellanova Europe, said that the proposed amendment to the EU Late Payments Directive shortening mandatory payment periods would increase the “debt burden” carried by food manufacturers during production.

The current directive, first introduced in 2011, requires public bodies to make payments ...