EFRA seeks comments on supply chain fairness

The resilience and vulnerabilities of the UK’s food supply chain will be the focus of a new inquiry by the House of Commons’ Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee (EFRA).

The Fairness in the food supply chain inquiry, launched on 20 December, will see cross-party MPs examine a range of key issues affecting the sector, including the levels of support for domestic food production, access to affordable and healthy food, labour shortages in the supply chain, and food prices and household food insecurity.

Food security under spotlight

The committee will delve into many of the issues documented in the Government’s food security report, published in December, which highlighted the range of pressures posing a threat to the UK’s food security, and reported an increase in the number of households unable to access healthy food.

During the span of their inquiry, MPs will issue calls for evidence on a regular basis, and will track the Government’s work on food security, scrutinising the Government’s national food strategy, due in 2025.

This inquiry will build on the work of the predecessor EFRA committee, which explored the power imbalances between farmers, processors, manufacturers and retailers, and heard evidence on concerns from producers as to whether farmgate prices reflect increases in production costs.

Committee investigates fairness

Commenting on the inquiry launch, EFRA committee chair Alistair Carmichael MP, said: “Our food supplies - both homegrown and imported - are vulnerable to external factors and are not always as secure as we might imagine, as the events of recent years have proven.

“Supermarkets have warned that the tax rises announced in the Budget will put pressure on prices. We also continue to see warnings about the impact of labour shortages in the supply chain.

“In this inquiry, our committee will investigate the breadth of issues facing the sector, including the interacting factors that affect the UK’s food supply chains. We will look at how the Government can ensure greater fairness and transparency in supply chains and promote food security both at a national and a household level.”

Call for evidence

To inform its inquiry, the committee will refer to evidence gathered by the predecessor EFRA committee on the below topics, but said it would welcome new or updated submissions by Friday 24 January 2025 on: 

• the effectiveness of the Groceries Code Adjudicator to enforce the Groceries Supply Code of Practice

• the potential merits and demerits of expanding the scope of the Groceries Supply Code of Practice

• other potential reforms to the Groceries Supply Code of Practice, including the potential benefits and risks of lowering the turnover threshold for which retailers are covered

• adequacy of reviews into contractual practices in agricultural sectors and effectiveness of introduction of fair dealing powers under the Agriculture Act

• the benefits and risks of a sector specific approach to the introduction of fair dealing powers

• scope for collaboration between the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator and Groceries Code Adjudicator

EFRA’s role

EFRA is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of Defra and its associated public bodies. It is not a government committee but a select committee of the House of Commons with a key role in holding ministers to account. 

EFRA chair, Carmichael, is the LIberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland.