Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the extension of the remit of the Groceries Code Adjudicator to cover (1) indirect supply chains including those for dairy products, and (2) the right to undertake own initiative investigations and receive complaints from third parties such as farming organisations.

The Government published a Call for Evidence on the extension of the remit of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) in 2017. Although there was insufficient evidence to justify an extension of the GCA’s role, the Government response, published on the 16^th February 2018, set out a range of measures to help farmers and small producers compete and thrive alongside larger businesses in the food supply chain. These include a £10 million collaboration fund and compulsory dairy contracts and sheep carcase classification.

The GCA has the statutory powers to carry out an investigation if the Adjudicator has reasonable grounds to suspect that a large retailer has breached the Groceries Code or has failed to follow a recommendation made following a previous investigation by the Adjudicator on action it should take to comply with the Code.

The reasonable grounds to suspect a breach might be based on evidence supplied by direct or indirect suppliers, third parties (such as trade associations or farming organisations), other retailers, whistle-blowers or information which is in the public domain.