Recent research from organic vegetable box company Riverford found that half of British fruit and veg grocers stated that they may go out of business in the next year.
Two thirds of fruit and veg growers said that making a living out of farming has never been harder and 61% fear they won’t have a farm to pass on to future generations. Three quarters of those asked said that treatment by supermarket buyers ranked as one of their primary concerns. In this context a third stated they had received a cancelled order with no explanation with a similar amount stating that supermarkets failed to pay them within 30 days.
Following this research almost 100 chefs, farmers and celebrities have signed an open letter asking supermarkets to treat farmers more fairly. The letter is part of a new #GetFairAboutFarming campaign, launched by Riverford, calling for supermarkets to adopt the principles of its own Fair to Farmers charter.
These principles include:
- Pay what you agreed to pay
- Buy what you committed to buy
- Agree on fair specifications
- Commit for the long term
- Pay on time
For further information and to sign the petition, visit https://getfairaboutfarming.co.uk