Push supermarkets to buy British

10 February 1999

‘Push supermarkets to buy British’

PRESSURE must be kept on the supermarkets to buy British, according to Robert Forster, chief executive of the National Beef Association.

He said supermarkets were currently ignoring beef available as much as 25% cheaper from Ireland.

But he suggested this might be a cynical ploy, which the big retailers feel obliged to observe while the investigation by the Office of Fair Trading takes place.

Mr Forster said the market was balanced on a “knife-edge” with farmer-friendly supermarkets such as Asda at risk from rivals buying cheap meat abroad.

• The Herald 10/02/99 page 23