Sectors

Agri-Food and Drinks

Our expertise:

Our lawyers understand the agri-food and drinks industry. We work with leading domestic and multinational agribusinesses on a range of legal and regulatory issues and advise on some of the sector’s largest and most challenging transactions.

We represent a broad spectrum of clients, including dairy and livestock producers, co-ops, food processors and retailers, drinks distributors and suppliers. We provide advice on all stages of the manufacturing process through to end-sales to consumers and interactions with regulators.

Key areas:

Our agri-food and drinks team advises on:

• Commercial agreements
• Commodities trading 
• Competition and tax 
• Corporate governance 
• Food law  
• Foreign investment approval 
• Funding and trade finance 
• Infrastructure access 
• Intellectual property 
• Investment structures 
• Mergers and acquisitions, including private equity and joint ventures 
• Property ownership and usage issues

Key highlights include advising:

• BWG on the acquisition of:
  • 4 Aces Wholesale Limited, Corrib Foods, Heaney Meats Catering Co Limited, ADM Londis plc., Keatings Newtown Limited and Morris Brothers Distributors.
• DIAGEO and Coca-Cola on numerous transactions and commercial arrangements.
• Fulfil Holdings Limited in relation to an investment by AIB Development Capital and the Hershey Group.
• Irish counsel on the acquisition of RHM by British food manufacturer Premier Foods plc in a share/cash deal valued at $2.44 billion.
• Pallas Foods, Ireland’s leading food service distributor and a wholly owned subsidiary of Sysco Corporation, on its acquisition of specialist wine, spirits and craft beer distributor Classic Drinks.
• Irish Country Meats (ICM) (the leading lamb processor in Ireland) in connection with the acquisition by ABP Group of Slaney Foods (including ICM);
• Lakeland Dairies on:
  • on food labelling issues identified post-Brexit, in particular on rules of origin.
  • the merger of Lakeland and LacPatrick, the largest merger of Irish dairy processors in the last two decades. 
• McDonald’s Restaurants on: 
  • its portfolio of Irish properties.  
  • trade mark ownership and licensing matters in connection with advertisements, marketing campaigns and online promotional activities in Ireland.
  • the general principles and requirements of food law under the EU Food Law Regulation, Single Use Plastic Directive and the Implementing Regulation.
  • guidance published by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, including the FSAI Transport and Delivery Guidance, the FSAI Safe Catering Pack and guidance on the key principles of the HACCP.
• Irish Distillers Limited on food labelling requirements under the Food Labelling Regulation, the Spirits Regulation, the Coffee Directive and the Flavouring Regulation.
• EQT Partners GmbH in Carrying out diligence in relation to the acquisition of DDW, Inc. (a company operating in the production of food colourings).
• Diageo on the interpretation and application of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 and the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 (Sale and Supply of Alcohol Products) Regulations 2020.