Irish growers are certainly not backward about coming forward.

The 30-strong group of potato producers who stormed a meeting of Tesco executives in County Meath this week - attended by Sir Terry Leahy himself - were evidently at the end of their tether, with a bleak future stretching ahead.

There is a real sense of collective militancy in Ireland, with farming bodies and politicians frequently speaking out against the major multiples. And producers are clearly more prone than their colleagues across the Irish Sea to take drastic action and state their case on the record. Compare this to when Sir Terry spoke at the City Food Lecture in London in January. Considering he was faced with a roomful of disgruntled suppliers from across the food industry, he got off very lightly indeed on the questioning front.

There is a great danger in the UK that highly profitable businesses are treated with kid gloves, especially by the government, which seems reluctant to address some of the key issues that their dominance raises. While there are, of course, companies supplying the multiples that are no doubt happy with their treatment, there are far more that are not content with their lot. The power wielded by the supermarkets must be addressed in order for agriculture to survive

Nobody can be sure if the Irish potato offensive will make a lot of difference, but at least growers can say they gave it their best shot.

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