Farming industry urged to support march to London

The farming industry is being urged to support a march to London event being organised by Farmers for Action, the Tenant Farmers Association have said.

"This march is for the whole of British agriculture," Farmers for Action said.

"All sectors are under immense financial pressure."

TFA National Chairman, Stephen Wyrill said: “We need as many people as possible from the farming industry to get to London on 23 March to demonstrate the importance of our industry and to highlight the need for a clear strategy from Government to ensure its future sustainability.

"For too long we have allowed the mantra of free-market economics to drive agricultural policy and this has left the farming community between a rock and a hard place in terms of dealing with suppliers on the one hand and processors and retailers on the other.”

“It is the imbalance of power in the supply chain which is the major threat to the future of our industry. Processors and retailers can use their dominant power to dictate terms to the farming community whilst the cost of many of the inputs we use, not least land, has more to do with what is going on in the wider economy than within agriculture,” said Mr Wyrill.

“This is why reform of the powers and functions of the Groceries Code Adjudicator is at the top of the TFA’s list of asks of the Government.

"The TFA was one of the first organisations to call for what we called a supermarket ombudsman with teeth. Now the Adjudicator’s role has been established we need to ensure it has sufficient powers to allow a thorough job to be done in holding retailers to account,” said Mr Dunn.

The TFA is calling for the Groceries Code Adjudicator to have deeper and wider powers to investigate malpractice within the groceries supply chain including OFSTED style powers to engage with retailers, a remit to look at the whole of the supply chain where required – not just direct contracts – and the responsibility to report on the balance of returns within the supply chain.

“I was pleased to see the National Farmers Union support the TFA’s call for a widening of the remit of the Adjudicator to cover the whole of the supply chain. I hope too that it will give its full support to the demonstration in London on 23 March to show the unity of the agricultural industry at this vital time and our willingness to engage positively with consumers and Government to ensure the sustainability and resilience of our industry into the future,” said Mr Wyrill.