THE CLA is supporting a push to protect British food producers from supermarkets pricing power.

The call by MP Andrew George during Prime Minister’s Question Time on Wednesday this week asked the Prime Minister to seek swift action in introducing an independent industry ombudsman to protect the interests of food suppliers.

In the current situation the supplier cannot win

Henry Aubrey-Fletcher - CLA President

CLA President Henry Aubrey-Fletcher said: “The CLA has been lobbying on this for four years now. The industry desperately needs an independent ombudsman with the powers to safeguard the financial interests of our farmers who supply supermarkets.

“In the current situation the supplier cannot win. If they are offered a contract with a supermarket the contract will more often than not stipulate that the supplier must offer their goods at a lower price otherwise the deal is off – deals that are crucial to the supply industry.”

The CLA President added: “The CLA hopes that Mr George’s raising of the issue during Prime Minister’s Question Time will highlight the problem that is leaving thousands of farmers out of pocket and controlled by the major supermarkets.

“The Government needs to act now to create legislation that will allow for an independent industry ombudsman. The Competition Commission recommended in its report last year that an ombudsman should be instated, but it needed the go-ahead from the supermarkets to create one. Unsurprisingly, there was widespread rejection of the idea, which is why Government must step in.”