Largest ever 'shelfwatch' survey to inspect who is backing farmers

NFU Scotland says it will undertake the largest ever survey of supermarket shelves in the next 48 hours to inspect which retailers are stocking local produce.

The union says it will conduct 73 'shelfwatch' visits to Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Co-op, Marks and Spencer, Lidl and Aldi branches in Scotland.

It comes as securing a fair return from the marketplace, whilst carrying all the risk, remains a major challenge for farmers.

Inspectors will look at beef, lamb, pork, chicken, soft fruit, vegetables and dairy products on offer.

They will also look at the country of origin of the goods being offered, identify if they are Scottish, British or imported, and also look at the price.

It will be the first of four such surveys to be carried out on behalf of NFU Scotland in the next 12 months.

The first set of results will be presented at the union’s annual conference in Glasgow on 8 and 9 February.

NFU Scotland president Martin Kennedy said all major retailers had a role to play in tackling the 'deepening' food security crisis.

"Supermarkets are by far the dominant force when it comes to food sales. It is right that, through this major independent retail survey, we shine a light on whether they are meeting their responsibilities.

“Results will give us a fantastic opportunity to not only hold our retailers to account and highlight to our consumers what is going on in some shops, but also give credit to those who are tremendous supporters.

“The results of this survey give us a platform for future discussions with supermarkets on responsible treatment of suppliers and guaranteed delivery of a fair price to producers for the food they produce."

It comes after dozens of farmers - and 49 scarecrows - protested outside the Houses of Parliament on Monday as part of the #GetFairAboutFarming campaign.

The protest stunt was in response to the poor treatment of farmers by the UK's largest retailers and their suppliers.

Farmers behind the campaign said the 49 scarecrows represented the 49% of farmers who fear they’ll go out of business in the next 12 months.