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Farmers have been protesting outside of the Houses of Parliament in an attempt to change regulations for selling produce to supermarkets.
49 scarecrows were used to represent the 49 per cent of fruit and veg farmers who say they could be out of business in a year because of the struggles they are facing.
Many are blaming supermarkets and buyers as the reasons for why they are struggling to survive.
Guy Singh-Watson is the Founder of Riverford Organic Farmers who was leading the protest today.
49 scarecrows were put on display outside Parliament
PA
He said: “We need to have a food and farming policy for this country. We need to see farmers treated fairly.
“Let’s be honest, supermarkets exist to make a profit for their shareholders. And if they can make that profit by paying farmers less, they will. And they have the power to be able to do this.
“The amount of food that’s produced in this country and eating in this country has fallen from 80 per cent to low 60 per cent.
“That is absolutely a result of supermarkets not paying the true cost of production of that food. So we will see more farmers going out of business.
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Farmers have been protesting for fairer regulations with supermarkets
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“I would love to see British farmers on the shelves so farmers can demonstrate that they’re producing the food the way the British public wants it produced and be paid properly for that food.”
Sarah Langford was another farmer there this morning and said: “We are dependent on farmers not just for our food but are clean air, clean water, biodiversity. They’re the only ones really able to bring that to all of us, whether we live in the city or not.
“Supporting farmers by coming to [the protest] and showing them that there are people behind them who, whilst they’re out in the fields, are making a case for them is really important.”
More than 110,000 people have now signed the #GetFairAboutFarming petition, which is urging the Government to reform the Groceries Supply Code of Practice to make it fairer for those involved.
Christina Rees, an Independent MP for Neath, debated the petition today and called for changes to the Groceries Supply Code of Practice: “By empowering farmers with the tools they need to negotiate fairly, we can foster a more balanced and sustainable agricultural sector.
“Let us stand together in solidarity with our farmers and work towards the future where their invaluable contributions are acknowledged, respected and fairly compensated.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the British Retail Consortium – the trade association for retail businesses in the UK – said: “Farmers play an incredibly important part in the food supply chain and retailers will continue to source the vast majority of their food from British farmers.
“The strong relationships between farmers and food retailers is supported by the Groceries Supply Code of Practice, which ensures a fair partnership between the two parties.”
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