A fierce lobbying campaign has broken out as the UK’s major supermarkets look to steer the government away from the introduction of an independent ombudsman.
It has emerged that the three largest UK supermarkets - Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's - have been meeting ministers and civil servants to express concerns over the move.
Concerns have been raised over the treatment of suppliers by retailers, with rumours rife of downward supply chain pressure and underhand tactics. The retailers deny this and counter that the introduction of an ombudsman will only push up prices for consumers.
The retail giants held 13 meetings with the department for business innovation and skills (BIS) officials and ministers, including three with the secretary of state Lord Mandelson.
The meetings were uncovered following freedom of information requests made by Friends of the Earth and ActionAid, which reveal that the meeting took place between April 2008 and August 2009.
By contrast, it has become clear that the Groceries Market Action Group, which represents UK farmers, manufacturers and small shops and producers from developing countries, has had only one meeting, with the competition minister, Kevin Brennan.
Last month, a spokesperson for Liberal Democrat MP Andrew George, chairman of the Grocery Market Action Group, told freshinfo the practicalities of an ombudsman were yet to be decided.
He said: “It is a case of using market intelligence to undertake proactive mini-investigations. One of the major benefits of an ombudsman would be the opportunity for suppliers and producers to inform it anonymously of bad supermarket practice.”
A report from the Competition Commission in April 2008 proposed an ombudsman. In August 2009, the commission passed the decision on to BIS and Lord Mandelson, who is expected to pass judgement on the matter in December.
The crux of the matter, many believe, may lie in the manner of reporting a complaint. The Competition Commission has suggested that suppliers could make anonymous complaints to the independent ombudsman, but the chains complain that this would prevent them from addressing the complaint and would not allow them a right of reply.
A spokesman for Sainsbury dol The Guardian: "We don't agree with the need for an ombudsman and consider that it will result in additional bureaucracy and unnecessary cost. We consider that the Office of Fair Trading is well placed to continue in its current role of regulating the code and that there is no need to establish new powers."
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