Food Supply Chain Fairness Bill

New Bill Seeks Fairer Pricing for Farmers

Rural campaigners have welcomed the introduction of the Food Supply Chain Fairness Bill, which aims to ensure that farmers across the UK receive fairer prices for their produce.

Alistair Carmichael, chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee (EFRA), announced that the bill will be introduced in Parliament on March 19. The Orkney and Shetland MP’s proposal includes a range of measures designed to improve fairness in the food supply chain.

Key provisions of the bill include:
• Strengthening the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) by expanding its remit and resources.
• Promoting public procurement of local food to support British farmers.
• Enhancing food origin labelling requirements to increase transparency for consumers.

The bill has been developed in collaboration with the NFU, the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), the Tenant Farmers’ Association (TFA), and other industry groups.

CLA president Victoria Vyvyan voiced support for the bill, stating:
“We believe the Groceries Code Adjudicator needs to be strengthened to make the supply chain fairer for farmers and rural businesses. We encourage MPs from all parties to back the bill, as Britain’s supply chain remains heavily weighted in favour of the retail sector.”

TFA chief executive George Dunn echoed these concerns:
“While the government talks about food security and fair returns for producers, the reality falls far short of the rhetoric. The GCA does some good work regulating retailer-supplier relationships, but it needs a broader remit and greater powers—especially regarding investigations.”

A Different Approach?

Lee at Derbyshire Farmers offered a more skeptical perspective:
“While this is good news, can we really trust these MP’s and three- and four-letter organisations to put farmers first when they’ve never done so in the past? Not likely.”

Instead, he urged farmers to take control of their own futures:
“It’s time to stop relying on broken systems and start building our own infrastructure. Farmers need a direct connection with consumers—something we’re working on with a low-cost online marketplace at derbyshirefarmers.com.”