Supermarket dominance has led to big reduction in food production - Williams

1.30.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 30th Apr 2008

Commenting on the Competition Commission report on supermarkets published today, Liberal Democrat Rural Affairs Spokesperson, Roger Williams said:

"Because of uncompetitive practices by the large supermarkets, many farmers have been forced to reduce production. This has led to a big fall in the amount of food the UK produces for its own consumption.

"We welcome the recommendation for an independent ombudsman. The Liberal Democrats have consistently called for this for many years.

"In the past, the supermarket code of practice proved far too weak and relied on farmers making complaints which then led to them being blacklisted by supermarkets. This must not be allowed to continue in the future.

"The new ombudsman must be proactive and ensure that in future there is fairness throughout the food industry."

ENDS/DIWEDD