Riverford founder Guy Singh Watson has blasted UK supermarkets that have voiced support for farmers’ protests against inheritance tax as “blatant hypocrisy”.

The founder of the organic veg box company called out leading UK grocery retailers for their role in leaving “many family farmers asset-rich but cash-poor”.

Among other accusations, the farmer and campaigner said public support of farmers by supermarkets, like Tesco, in recent days is nothing more than a “response to growing public and media scrutiny”.

Singh-Watson said: “Are farmers really going to fall for this? The truth is, if supermarkets paid farmers fairly in the first place, they wouldn’t be in a situation where they can’t afford to pay tax. This so-called support is blatant hypocrisy.”

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Singh-Watson’s comments follow leading grocers such as Tesco, Morrisons, Lidl, Aldi and Ocado publicly issuing statements voicing their support for farmers last week.

The statements follow in the wake of campaign groups staging a series of protests across the country in recent weeks, in a bid to get the government to reverse impending changes to inheritance tax.

However earlier this month, despite its message of support for the farming sector, Morrisons sought an injunction to prevent any protests held on its sites, after farmers blockaded one of its Somerset depots, causing delays in its supply chain.

Singh-Watson added: “Until supermarkets address the low prices and exploitative contracts they impose, any claims of support for farmers are little more than empty promises. We need to create a food system that rewards sustainability and quality—not just the lowest cost.”

It is not the first time Singh-Watson has spoken out against supermarkets. Last year he accused the big six supermarkets of “farmwashing” through the use of “fake farm brands”, expressing concern over what the campaign describes as “misleading” supermarket practices.