BFREPA meetings with Sainsbury 'Informative'
BFREPA chairman John Retson has held what he describes as a "very informative’ meeting with representatives of Sainsbury’s supermarket.
The meeting resulted from a letter written to all the major supermarkets by John to highlight to crisis facing free range egg producers at the moment. In the letter he said that free range producers were currently suffering losses of more than £5 per bird. He asked for a meeting with each supermarket so that he could outline the position in greater detail.
Such a meeting has now taken place with Sainsbury’s representatives. John said the meeting had been very cordial and very useful and it had allowed for a beneficial exchange of information.
He said that Sainsbury’s had explained existing agricultural projects in which it was working more closely with farmers. The company has previously spoken about how it wants to work with the farming industry to address issues such as the increasing volatility of global markets, rising demand from emerging markets, the impact of climate change and legislation and how food security will impact global resources.
It has established dedicated development groups across various agricultural sectors and Sainsbury’s representatives explained to John how this had proved particularly effective in the dairy sector. The company had co-operated with the industry to work on reducing foot problems in cattle, for example, and on improving yields.
John was told that Sainsbury’s was hoping to replicate such co-operation in other agricultural sectors.
He told the Ranger that he had been able to spend about an hour speaking to the company’s representatives, detailing the losses that free range egg producers were suffering at the moment because of huge increases in the cost of feed. He said the meeting had been very useful for discussing ways in which BFREPA and Sainsbury’s could help each other.
Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King has spoken previously about the importance of protecting the supply chain. "Creating and maintaining supply chains that are resilient in the face of challenges such as climate change and food security will be crucial in the years ahead," he said at a farming conference the company organised late last year.
"We’ve made great progress in tackling some of these issues with our agricultural supply chain, especially through our development groups, which we’ve already invested £21 million in to date. We must now develop even closer working relationships with our farmers, growers and suppliers if we are to achieve a sustainable future that’s better for all."
At the same time the company’s group commercial director, Mike Coupe, said, "We want to share our commercial success with the farmers and growers who have played a significant role in our five years of consecutive growth. Farmers and key agricultural suppliers represent the vast majority of our food sales, so it’s important to the whole supply chain to help farmers run their businesses successfully, ensuring they are fit for the years ahead."
John has been warning the supermarkets of the threat posed to the supply chain by the crisis currently facing free range egg producers. He also has a meeting arranged with representatives of Tesco.
