The committee for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) is looking to review “farmgate prices” and retailer practices to ensure producers are getting a fair deal, its chair has said.
In an exclusive video interview with FPJ, Neil Parish, who is also the Conservative MP for Tiverton and Honiton, said the fresh produce industry has a responsibility to help itself, but that the government also has a role to play both through the Groceries Code Adjudicator and through “market checks”.
“We’re going to be looking at farmgate prices, and we’re going to be looking at the way the retail sector works, and making sure, as far as possible, that the money that the retailers are paying the producers is fair,” he said. “There is a lot of competition between major retailers, so it’s necessary to support the growers. The market works if there are checks in place.
“Fruit growers in particular don’t expect government to sort everything out for them, they’re very good at helping themselves. I’m a great believer that government should be there to help, but also that the industry needs to be there to step up and help themselves, so it’s a combination.”
Parish, who was speaking at the National Fruit Show this week where he opened the event, also talked about the impact of the new National Living Wage, and said the industry “must look after” its workers.
“I think the industry needs to be careful that it does pay its labour enough money, of course we have got the minimum wage and we’ve got the living wage coming along and this will put pressure on growers, but I think it’s essential that we pay a living wage,” he said.
“It will be a big challenge, but I think we have to look after the people who are working hard in the orchards, as well as growing a good product.”
Parish said increased mechanisation through modern growing systems or robotics will be one way the industry could look to counter rising labour costs in the future. “I think there may well need to be more mechanisation in places, which is necessary to keep labour costs down, but I think the employees that are picking and looking after the fruit should be paid a fair wage,” he added.
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