Shops and supermarkets in Spain can limit the number of items each customer can buy to avoid running out of stock: findings from a change in law published today in the Official Journal. As reported by the Iberian media, many trading companies are already applying restrictions of this type, related to shortages in the supply of some products due to an ongoing protest by road hauliers. What is new is that this decision is now legally permitted for emergency situations, whereas previously it was expressly prohibited.
The regulatory change is part of Royal DecreeLaw 6/2022 of March 29 on urgent measures under the recently approved National Plan to Respond to the Economic and Social Consequences of the War in Ukraine. In particular, the Executive introduces a new article in the Retail Regulation Act, which stipulates that, exceptionally, if exceptional circumstances or force majeure justify it, trading companies may temporarily suspend the ban referred to in Article 2 in order to limit the number of articles each consumer can buy. Such measures must be justified where necessary and taken proportionately to avoid discrimination and ensure access for all consumers on equal terms, the royal decree states.
Another measure provided 169 million in direct aid, as this is one of the sectors most affected by cost increases due to electricity, feed and fuel prices as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Farmers are exempted from the obligation to set aside 5% of their cultivated area and the diversification obligation is made more flexible. In this way, the agricultural sector will get more land to grow cereals, especially corn, and oilseeds such as sunflowers, products imported from Ukraine, improving the supply of these products in Spain.