Cameron says farmers need ‘fair deal’ on food

Prime Minister David Cameron has said farmers need to get a “fair deal for the food they produce”.

Mr Cameron’s comment was made during Prime Ministers Questions on Wednesday (Dec 1), when he was asked if he would have urgent talks “with the Leader of the House and the Business Secretary on introducing legislation for a national regulator or ombudsman for supermarkets before more suppliers are decimated by their conduct?”

He responded: “We have new arrangements in terms of ensuring that supermarkets treat farmers fairly. All of us as constituency MPs have heard stories about supermarkets behaving very aggressively towards farmers, and it is right that there is a proper way of trying to police that independently, so that our farmers get a fair deal for the food that they produce.”

The government announced in August that it will introduce an independent Groceries Code Adjudicator, bringing in draft legislation later this year.

The NFU said with the end of the year fast approaching it was working hard to make sure the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills did not delay further in setting up this vital body, so it was glad to see that the Prime Minister recognised how important it was.