Get Fair about Farming is a campaign being run by the folks behind Riverford Box Scheme, after learning that nearly half of our fruit and veg farmers are scared their businesses could fail in the next year, and 75% of them say that the behaviour of the big supermarkets are a major cause. They never know much of their crops will be bought (or rejected as ‘they don’t look right’) or when they will be paid. This is why community supported agriculture (where local people pay small farmers in advance for the harvest) is becoming more popular.
Riverford is also run by farmers and has created a revolutionary way to sell to the public, but has created a far fairer supply chain, and now wants all UK farmers to enjoy the same fairness. So the founder has written an open letter to the big six supermarkets (below) and also created a 5-point Fair to Farmers Charter:
- Buy what you committed to buy – sometimes supermarkets change their mind after saying they’ll buy produce
- Pay on time – many farmers often have to wait 12 weeks to be paid by supermarkets (illegal in Europe)
- Commit for the long term – supermarkets should either give long-term contracts or plenty of notice, if switching to other suppliers (and honour agreed purchases)
- Agree on fair specifications – let farmers know the desired size and shape beforehand, so supermarkets can’t ‘wiggle out’ of contracts at a later date
- Pay what you agreed to pay – sometimes supermarkets change the goalposts, and don’t pay what they said in the first place. One farmer grew 60 tons of salad potatoes, then was told it was no longer needed, leaving him ‘financially screwed’.
The campaign also wants the government to install tougher legislation so farmers get food security, and supermarkets don’t screw them over, just for short-term profit. The price of supermarket apples has gone up 17% (yet the cost of growing them is far more, yet farmers see little extra payment). This also means more will be imported, bad for our endangered orchards, bad for farmers and bad for the planet.
British farming needs your help – almost half of fruit and veg farmers fear they will go out of business within the next 12 months. And while farms are closing their gates, supermarkets are reporting record profits. Good food ends up rotting in fields and farmers are left without payment for their crop. Open letter from Get Fair About Farming to the CEOs of the ‘big six supermarkets’ (Tesco, Sainsbury’s, ASDA, Morrisons, AlDI and LIDL).