NPA urges MPs to deliver on supply chain review

The NPA has called on MPs to ensure that Defra’s review of contractual practice in the supply chain delivers tangible outcomes that better protect primary producers. Responding to the House of Commons Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee’s inquiry into fairness in the food supply chain, we reiterated the importance of distributing risk throughout the supply chain more proportionately.

With households facing the highest levels of food price inflation since the 1970s, the EFRA Committee is looking at issues throughout the food supply chain from ‘farm to fork’. The cross-party group of MPs is investigating how profitability and risks are shared through the food supply chain and the existing government system of monitoring and regulation.

The NPA has submitted a written response to their call for evidence, urging Defra to complete its review into the pig industry as soon as practically possible. We noted that engagement with industry up to this point has been excellent and have asked Government to continue that at every stage of the process. We are also conscious that the timescales involved mean that it may not be possible to implement any new legislation before a General Election and have therefore issued a plea to all political parties to commit to continuing this work through to its conclusion.

Commenting on the inquiry, NPA’s Charlie Dewhirst said: “We asked the EFRA Committee to look into supply chain fairness and are very pleased that the inquiry is underway. I am sure the recent crisis in the pig industry will be a key focus of their investigation. It is vital we secure real change from the Defra review to ensure that risk in future is shared more equitably throughout the supply chain and we never find ourselves in such a deep and prolonged crisis ever again.”

You can read the full response here.