Ashby MP urges supermarkets to address farmers' concern that 'has gone unchallenged for far too long'

By Ashby Nub News Reporter 10th Feb 2025

Ashby MP Amanda Hack says the issue with supermarkets has gone on 'far too long'. Photo: © Carolannefreeling | Dreamstime.com
Ashby MP Amanda Hack says the issue with supermarkets has gone on 'far too long'. Photo: © Carolannefreeling | Dreamstime.com

Ashby MP Amanda Hack is one of 46 Labour politicians who co-signed a letter to the 'big six' UK supermarkets urging them to adopt a fairer deal for farmers.

The MPs have written to the chain stores, to express concern about 'unfair' practices, which are severely affecting farmers and growers in the UK.

They used the letter to raise concerns that farmers often receive as little as 1p profit from the food items they produce, while supermarkets are enjoying "excessive profits".  

The MPs note that this has "created a farming industry that is struggling, and forcing too many farmers and growers to rely on subsidies from the government."

Ms Hack said: "Supermarkets claim to support UK farmers, yet their actions suggest otherwise.

"Farmers and growers play a vital role in ensuring the UK's food sustainability, yet they are not receiving a fair deal from the supermarkets. 

"This situation has persisted for years and has gone unchallenged for far too long.

"It is unjust that farmers often earn just 1p profit from the food items they produce, while supermarkets make excessive profits. 

North West Leicestershire MP Amanda Hack. Photo: Supplied

"This concern has been clearly communicated to me by our local farmers here in North West Leicestershire during several meetings with them.

"Farmers deserve a fair deal, and consumers deserve honesty and transparency."

In the letter, MPs highlight that over the last year alone, the major supermarkets made a combined total pre-tax profit of more than £5billion, "yet a typical 200-acre arable family farm in the UK makes just £27,300 in profit. In a world where farmers and producers are struggling to make a living, and relying on Government grants and subsidies so that they can survive from one year to the next, this can't be seen as fair or right." 

This fact is made even more concerning when the MPs claimed not all supermarkets pay corporation tax in the UK.

 The letter also takes aim at the practice of 'farmwashing,' where misleading labelling gives consumers the false impression that products are locally sourced, when they are in fact imported or produced on large industrial farms masquerading as family-run operations. The letter argues that this practice is not only misleading, but also directly undermines the credibility of British agriculture.

     

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