ACS

Timothy Farron MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs, has laid an Early Day Motion (EDM) expressing concerns that Government is yet to persuade supermarket retailers to commit to the introduction of a supermarket Ombudsman.

The EDM is supported by five MPs in total and has raised a number of issues around the importance of establishing an Ombudsman as recommended by the Competition Commission’s investigation into the grocery market in 2008.

The EDM:
• Calls on the Government to introduce an independent supermarket regulator to ensure that the supply chain from farms to supermarkets is properly monitored and that fair prices are paid to farmers for their produce.

• Expresses concern that discussions between supermarkets and the Competition Commission over the regulation of the supply chain between farmers and retailers have stalled; and;

• Expresses concern about the growing uncertainty this has caused within the farming industry;

ACS has been campaigning for Government to implement all of the recommendations of the Competition Commission. ACS will continue to campaign for MPs to show their support for the Ombudsman.