§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will assess the effect on farm gate prices of purchasing policies following the proposed merger between Wal-Mart and Asda. [89258]
§ Mr. Nick BrownThe purchasing policies of individual supermarkets are primarily a matter for the businesses concerned. The Competition Commission is conducting a 12 month investigation of grocery retailing418W and will examine, as part of that review, the nature of the relationships between the multiples and their suppliers including agricultural producers.