Shopping watchdog must have teeth, says farm chief

The vice chairman of the Tenant Farmers Association, Stephen Wyrill, said that a supermarket ombudsman should be set up as a priority to help police the new Grocery Supply Chain Code of Practice and to ensure it “has the relevant powers to be a real force of good”.

Before this week’s Great Yorkshire Show, Mr Wyrill said: “Large-scale retailers play an important role in society and for the vast majority of people they will provide the only, or at least the most significant, point of contact with food and food production.

“However, as large-scale operators they wield tremendous power in the market place which they can and do use to the detriment particularly of small-scale farmers and processors by insisting on unfair trading practices.

“Whilst we have a code of practice which governs these trading relationships, we still need an adjudicator with teeth.

“The recent news headlines have been filled with details of how large corporations flout the law let alone codes of practice which underlines the need to ensure we have proper regulation place.”

The Government has produced a draft Bill which it intends to introduce in the next session of parliament.

The TFA has identified two essential amendments that they say will make an ombudsman fit for purpose. Mr Wyrill said that provisions which allowed the adjudicator to “name and shame” companies which flout the grocery code of practice were not strong enough, and said that it should be given the power to fine retailers who abuse their powers.

He also said the adjudicator should be allowed to conduct short-notice inspections of retailers to ensure compliance with the code, much like an OFSTED inspection team does with schools.

The TFA claims such powers would mean that high standards of compliance by retailers would be observed at all times and give the body sufficient power to effectively police the industry.

“The time for discussion is over,” he said. “Without an adjudicator the code of practice has been found wanting and further delay will simply allow bad practice to continue for a longer period.”

The British Retail Consortium remains opposed to an adjudicator, claiming such a figure will merely result in higher prices for consumers.