NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board chair Martin Emmett has addressed the concerns that Defra's horticulture supply chain may be too narrow in scope. He recently stated: "I attended the GCA (Grocery Code Adjudicator) annual conference on Thursday and chaired the NFU National Horticulture & Potato board meeting earlier in the week. Both days, the message was clear. The behaviors of retail buyers continue to be a source of pain for many grower businesses."
"We're into October now. Some have all but finished, others ramping up or yet to start. Only this week, I've heard from several businesses that, despite opening negotiations months ago, retail buyers have still yet to commit to supply agreements, volumes, or prices – and their crop harvest is only around the corner."
"In the case of field crops and salads, agreements should be in place before a crop gets planted. The imbalance of power and the financial risks associated with horticultural businesses are stacked against us. The GSCOP (Groceries Supply Code of Practice) does little to address this type of behavior. It is critical that the upcoming Defra supply chain review must investigate behaviors across the entire supply chain if we are to fully achieve fairness in the supply chain."
"There is a risk that Defra does not include retail behaviors within its scope of the review because "GSCOP is already in place, and the government won't duplicate regulation." If this were the case, Defra would have missed the point. They would risk glossing over fundamental problems that place our horticultural supply chain at breaking point."
Source: nfuonline.com