NPA chief exec to give evidence today for EFRA food chain fairness inquiry

NPA chief executive Lizzie Wilson will give evidence to the EFRA Committee this afternoon as part of its inquiry into Fairness in the Food Supply Chain inquiry.

Lizzie will appear in front of MPs at 2.30pm alongside Ali Capper, executive chair, British Apples & Pears, Guy Singh-Watson, Founder, Riverford Organic Farmers and the NFU's dairy board chair Michael Oakes. The session will be livestreamed on Parliament TV. 

The cross-party EFRA commitee is investigating the relationship between food production costs, farmgate prices and retail prices. 

Labour shortages in the food supply chain, concerns regarding the exploitation of workers under the seasonal worker scheme, and the pay and conditions of food workers will also be examined by MPs as they take evidence from representatives of UK food producers and food industry labour organisations. 

The cross-party committee will explore the balance of power between food producers, manufacturers and retailers, particularly regarding price setting, and will ask how the structural relationship could be improved between these groups to provide greater fairness and transparency.

The adequacy of existing regulation, including enforcement of the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP) for supermarkets’ direct suppliers by the Groceries Code Adjudicator will come under scrutiny.

The inquiry takes place against the backdrop of new regulations being drawn up by Defra governing pig contracts and the use of market data to bring about more fairness in the supply chain. 

This followed a report by Defra last year, which concluded that there is 'a clear demand for a legislative solution' to the issues within the pig supply chain. A widespread consultation with businesses and organisations across the chain had revealed and ‘an imbalance of power’ that has proved damaging to those in the business of producing pigs.