Nearly seven in 10 farmers say their relationship with supermarkets has deteriorated over the past two years, prompting renewed calls for a single food supply chain regulator to rebalance the balance of power and reduce any sense of agricultural survival.
Farmers, MPs and industry groups are calling on the government to strengthen the Food Act Adjudicator (CGA) and consolidate existing watchdogs into a single regulator that oversees the supply chain from farm to supermarket. Activists say the current system is fragmented and fails to protect producers from unfair purchasing practices.
A survey commissioned by organic produce box company Riverford found that 69% of farmers believe their relationships with retailers have deteriorated over the past two years, and more than two-thirds say it has become harder than ever to make a living from farming. Three of the quarters reported financial pressures due to supermarket purchasing practices.
The findings support Riverford’s #GetFairAboutFarming campaign calling for a single regulator with stronger enforcement powers. More than 5,000 people wrote to their MPs supporting the proposal, and 86 MPs signed an early motion calling for the consolidation of existing supply chain regulators.
The survey found that 76% of farmers believe the current regulatory framework does not protect them from unfair practices in supermarkets and is “not fit for purpose”. A similar proportion said a single regulator would lead to fairer treatment of UK farmers.
Producers reported widespread unfair practices, including order cancellations, delayed payments, unannounced changes to terms, and pricing that does not cover production costs. Almost all respondents said they had experienced such behavior at least once, but 65% felt they had little choice but to accept the supermarket’s terms for fear of delisting.
For many producers, this imbalance has a direct impact on business viability. Richard Stogdon, an apple grower in Sussex, said his relationship with supermarkets had “substantially deteriorated”. He added: “We are taking a huge risk in growing these crops.”
Haydn Evans, a dairy farmer from Carmarthen, Wales, explained how pressures within the supply chain can quickly bounce back onto producers. He said the buyer was delisted just three months later after successfully lobbying a milk buyer to pass on a 1p a liter price increase from supermarkets.
“supermarket[s] “They know how much money they’re taking and how vulnerable farmers are. They’re taking advantage of the power imbalance. They know they’re always negotiating with their hands tied behind their backs,” he said.
Some companies have chosen to exit the supermarket supply chain entirely. Third-generation farmer Jonathan Hoskins said he no longer supplies retailers. “I’ll never forget the stress and the anxiety of not knowing the value of the fruit until it’s all sold,” he said.
The pressure is being felt beyond agricultural finances. More than eight in 10 farmers surveyed said unfair practices in supermarkets are contributing to stress and poor mental health within the farming community, and 61% said they believed retailers’ actions put their farms at financial risk.
Riverford founder Guy Singh Watson said the findings showed that conditions were deteriorating for many producers. “For three years, our #GetFairAboutFarming campaign has called for regulators with real teeth to stand up to supermarkets and help address the huge power imbalances in supply chains,” he said.
“More than 113,000 people have backed this call, and it has been debated in parliament, but farmers are still being crippled by the system that is supposed to protect them.”
He disputed claims that the situation was improving. “While GCA’s own research suggests that the situation is improving, and that may be true for large companies that contract with supermarkets, our findings show that the opposite is true for small and medium-sized family farms that produce most of the food,” it said, adding that 69% of farmers reported worsening relationships with supermarkets.
Shin-Watson said financial pressures undermine long-term sustainability. “Agriculture shouldn’t be about survival; it should be a livelihood you can be proud of,” he said, arguing that squeezed profit margins are making it difficult for farmers to invest in soil health, animal welfare and environmental improvement.
Support for the reforms is also coming from campaign groups. Georgina Edwards, Sustain’s head of sustainable farming campaigns, said the research showed that farmers were still being harmed by unfair trade practices. “Sudden order cancellations and payment delays continue to have a negative impact on farming operations and farmers’ mental health,” she said.
She warned that retailers’ actions were pushing farms in a harmful direction. “It is deeply concerning that three-quarters of farmers say retailer actions are driving their farms to more intensive and environmentally damaging practices,” he said, calling on ministers to use the current review of the CGA to tighten regulations and better enforce resources.
A government review of food law examiners is underway and campaigners say the coming months will be a key opportunity for ministers to reform supply chain regulation and provide fairer treatment for the farmers who produce Britain’s food.
