Stores short-changing farmers and consumers
29 September 1998
‘Stores short-changing farmers and consumers’
SUPERMARKETS are “shortchanging” both farmers and consumers over the price of meat in a bid to keep their profits up, claimed the vice-president of the Scottish National Farmers Union.
Mr Jim Walker said the supermarket chains were taking full advantage of the rock-bottom meat prices at the auction marts but had not significantly dropped the price of meat.
Recent food scares had seen finished beef and lamb prices down by 15%, while retail prices were down just 1%.
Mr Walker also told farmers at a meeting in Lanark that the big food chains were not doing enough to support them by failing to label processed products with the country of origin of the meat they used.
His comments came at a meeting hosted by the Lanarkshire and Peebleshire Black-Faced Sheep Breeders Association at Lanark Mart.