The Ulster Farmers’ Union has welcomed Government plans to strengthen the powers of the Groceries Adjudicator. The UK Government has announced plans to give the new supermarket watchdog the power to impose financial fines on retailers if they are not treating their suppliers fairly. UFU President Harry Sinclair said the latest proposals from the Government were an important development because the Adjudicator must have sufficient power to hold large retailers to account.
Harry Sinclair said; “The supermarket code already has a provision for ‘naming and shaming’ retailers if they mistreat their suppliers. The introduction of a ‘fining system’ will give the adjudicator more ‘teeth’ to ensure fair play in the relationship between producers and large supermarket retailers. We have been campaigning for a Supermarket Adjudicator for many years and feel things are now moving in the right direction. Previous voluntary approaches to ensuring fair play in the food chain have failed and the new Adjudicator, backed by legislative powers is a very important initiative”.
Harry Sinclair added; “We have always stated that a Groceries Code Adjudicator is about creating a better functioning supply chain which rewards all players more fairly, encourages innovation, and ultimately benefits consumers. If Supermarkets are operating fairly with their suppliers then they will have nothing to fear. We will continue to urge the Government and MP’s to oversee the implementation of the Supermarket Adjudicator as soon as possible”.
