§ 24. Mr. LuffTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent discussions he has had with supermarkets about their relationships with suppliers of horticultural products.[137158]
§ Ms QuinSupply chain relationships are a theme of the Agricultural Forum, where Ministers meet key figures from all points in the food chain including retailers and horticultural producers, among others. The Forum last met on 6 July and will meet again on 23 November, when the food chain will be one of the key issues on the agenda.
As part of the Government's Action Plan for Farming, the major retailers, facilitated by the IGD, have developed a voluntary code of best practice in commercial relationships with trading partners. The Competition Commission has also recommended that a Code of Practice should be established which would put relations between supermarkets and their suppliers on a clearer and more predictable basis. Supermarkets with more than 8 per cent. of the market would have to give legally binding undertakings to comply with the Code. My right
781Whon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked the Director-General of Fair Trading to take this forward.