Farmers have called on the Government to address the power imbalance between supermarkets and growers by overhauling the food supply chain regulator.
Farmers, supported by MPs and industry bodies, want the Groceries Code Adjudicator (CGA) strengthened to create a single regulator to protect farmers and ensure fair treatment by supermarkets.
Seven in 10 (69%) farmers surveyed as part of Riverford’s #GetFairAboutFarming campaign said the buying relationship between growers and retailers has worsened over the last two years; 68% claimed that making a living through farming has never been harder.
The poll also showed 76% of farmers believe the current supply chain regulatory system does not protect farmers from unfair supermarket practices, and is unfit for purpose. Three quarters (75%) believe a single regulatory body to oversee the entire supply chain – from growers through to supermarkets – would ensure fairer treatment of British farmers.
Eighty six MPs have signed an early day motion calling to merge the two existing supply chain watchdogs, currently split across two government departments, into one stronger, more effective body.
Riverford’s research showed that 65% of farmers surveyed feel they have no choice but to accept the terms supermarkets set for fear of being delisted, while 76% of farmers surveyed feel under financial pressure from supermarket buying practices. Six in 10 respondents go as far as saying they consider their farm to be at financial risk due to retailer behaviour (61%).
“For three years our #GetFairAboutFarming campaign has been calling for a regulator with real teeth, one that can stand up to supermarkets and help address the huge imbalance of power in our supply chains,” said Riverford founder, Guy Singh Watson.
More than 113,000 people have backed the call, with Parliament having debated it earlier this year. “The Groceries Code Adjudicator’s own research suggests things are improving and that may be the case for the large companies with supermarket contracts, but our findings show the opposite is true for the small and medium-sized family farms that produce most of our food,” said Singh Watson. “The problem is worse than ever.”
Georgina Edwards, sustainable farming campaign officer at Sustain, said the ongoing review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator presents “a prime opportunity to make fairer supply chains a reality” as she urged ministers to “join up existing regulation, and ensure enforcers are properly resourced, to better protect the people who produce our food”.
