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Filing a complaint with the BLE
Are you affected by unfair trading practices and do you want to file a complaint? Affected suppliers and their organisations (e.g. producer associations) have a right of complaint and can use our online complaint form to exercise it, among other options.
Suppliers affected by unfair practices carried out by buyers have the right to complain to the BLE about it, as have their associations (Section 25 (1) AgrarOLkG).
If you file a complaint, the BLE will, at your request, take the necessary measures to protect your identity as well as any other information the disclosure of which would, in your opinion, be detrimental to your interests (Section 26 (1) AgrarOLkG). This means that the BLE will not, for example, grant the buyer in question or third parties access to those parts of the file that you have designated as requiring protection. Despite knowing your identity, the BLE will keep all parts of the file that allow conclusions to be drawn about your identity under lock and key.
However, this non-disclosure may result in the buyer in question not being able to defend themselves adequately against the allegations made against them. Even in such a case, however, the BLE will not disclose the file to the buyer against your will. Rather, the BLE will contact you in such a situation and ask you to explain within a reasonable period of time whether the confidential information cannot be disclosed to the buyer after all, so that the proceedings can be continued. If you do not agree to the disclosure, the BLE will discontinue the procedure (Section 26 (2) AgrarOLkG). In effect, that means that the BLE will in no case disclose information that you have declared to require protection against your will.
To file a complaint, you can use our online form, for example.
Complaints can of course also be submitted by mail, fax, e-mail or telephone. Whichever way you choose to use, please indicate whether any and, if so, which part of the information you share with us is to be treated confidentially.
