British farmers have formed a protest outside the House of Parliament to call for the government to force leading ‘Big Six’ supermarkets to reform their relationships with fruit and veg suppliers.
Dozens of scarecrows will “protest” outside parliament to urge Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Aldi, and Lidl to change their buying behaviour and adopt fairer principles for farmers.
The 49 scarecrow demonstration aims to represent 49% of fruit and vegetable farmers who say they are likely to go out of business in the next 12 months, according to research by organic veg box company Riverford.
The scarecrows also allow anonymity for British farmers behind the statistics, with many of whom are too afraid to speak out against supermarkets for fear of reprisals.
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Despite this fear of repercussions, the Riverford survey also found that many farmers blame supermarkets and their buyers as the leading threat to their livelihood.
Members of parliament are today (22 January) set to debate reforms to the grocery supply chain after 110,000 people backed the campaign’s #GetFairAboutFarming petition.
The petition urges the government to overhaul the Grocery Supply Code of Practice, and follows 69% of fruit and veg farmers calls for tougher regulations to readdress an imbalance of power.
Sustainable farming campaign, Sustain, coordinator William White said: “Riverford’s scarecrow protest sends a stark message: only strong regulation from the Government can ensure farmers get a fair deal for the food they produce.”
Riverford organic founder Guy Singh-Watson added: “British agriculture is on its knees the livelihoods of our farmers are being laid to waste. I hope this hammers home to those in power the sheer scale of the problem and the urgent need for change.
“The current laws in place to protect farmers against the too often unfair and abusive behaviour of supermarkets and their suppliers are woefully inadequate. The silence from the ‘Big Six’ supermarkets amid the noise of the #GetFairAboutFarming campaign truly speaks volumes on how much they value the farmers who keep their shelves stocked and pockets lined all year round.”
