Dear Mr Kruger,
Good family farms are, I’m sure you’ll agree, an important part of our national identity and they play a massive role in rural society. What is more, a good farm can also play a significant part in restoring our natural world and mitigating climate change. However many will remain on the financial brink and a significant number will not even keep going if denied the security they deserve.
As your True & Fair Party challenger in East Wiltshire, I have a number of concerns regarding pressures faced by farmers both locally and across Britain. At least one of these dates back years, yet it has been left unaddressed and the pressures are now mounting.
As things stand over 95% of Britain’s food is sold through just 10 retailers, this clearly limits the options available to farmers when it comes to negotiating contracts with supermarkets.
Recent research carried out by Sustain shows that producers frequently receive less than 1% of the profit for their produce. A couple of examples they highlight: for a four-pack of burgers, farmers end up receiving a mere 0.03% of the profit – 70 times less than the retailer makes; whilst for a kg of carrots, the growers’ pay barely covers production costs.
This certainly isn’t a scenario that can be said to be offering fair treatment of those producing our food, yet supermarket profits are reported to be soaring.
The meagre margins so many of our farmers have endured for years have inevitably been further eroded by rising input costs, in part due to the war in Ukraine. Many will conclude, at least in some cases, the problems facing farmers have also been exacerbated by other difficulties including those involved with attracting sufficient numbers of seasonal workers in the aftermath of Brexit.
As things stand 49% of British fruit and veg growers fear they will not be in business this time next year. 75% cite supermarket behaviour as the leading factor behind these fears.
Decisive action is clearly needed to reform broken supply chains and establish stronger regulations that guarantee a fair and stable income for our farmers.
Current government policy to protect farmers using the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP), which has not been updated since 2009, seems inadequate and it appears rarely to be enforced. 69% of our Fruit and Veg producers express a wish for tougher regulations that will help to redress the current imbalance of power.
The current regulatory bodies are, it would seem, ill-equipped to address these challenges, exemplified by the feebleness of the Groceries Code Adjudicator. Their total annual budget is less than the cost of completing a single investigation.
Were I currently serving the local community as their MP, I would be seeking to champion fairness for our farmers by speaking at the upcoming parliamentary debate concerning the reform of the Groceries Supply Code of Practice which is scheduled for 22 January at 16:00 in Westminster Hall. Since you currently have that role, I am asking you to speak up for our farmers.
To start to fix the problem, I would endorse the following measures, as proposed by the Devon based Riverford Organic Farmers. Will you do so too?
- The Groceries Code Adjudicator needs to be empowered to take a more effective and punitive stance against unfair practices.
- Retailers must:
- buy what they agreed to buy,
- pay what they agreed to pay, and
- pay on time, without exception.
- These three principles should be embedded into the GSCOP.
- A stronger, clearer code of practice is needed to make sure that all supermarkets stick to fair practices when dealing with farmers.
Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.
Yours sincerely,
Pete Force-Jones
Ed: West England Bylines does not support any particular organisation or political party. We do however give space to those who promote progressive and sustainable goals.
Pete Force-Jones is the True & Fair Party Parliamentary Candidate for East Wiltshire.
Danny Kruger is the current MP for the Devizes constituency, part of which will form part of the new East Wiltshire constituency.
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