Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to support grower-led supply chains.

Farmers often face power imbalances within the supply chain and can feel they have little influence on commercial negotiations. Powers in the Agriculture Act have been used to introduce ‘Fair Dealings’ Regulations, applying to businesses when purchasing agricultural products from farmers. These regulations could mandate that contracts include certain information (e.g. termination clauses, duration, pricing information) and set parameters around these details. Defra will continue to work closely with all relevant industry stakeholders on the best way to achieve this.