Nanette Milne, Scottish Conservative MSP for the North East has welcomed progress by the UK Conservative Government towards the creation of a supermarket watchdog, as draft legislation was introduced to the UK Parliament this week. The Draft Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill will seek to address imbalances in the supply chain to benefit both food producers and consumers.
Milne said, “I have been calling for action on this for a number of years and I am pleased that there is now some progress towards the introduction of a supermarket watchdog. It is disappointing that it has taken this long to get to the point of legislation being presented to Parliament, but I hope it will go some way towards ensuring fairness in the food production system.
“Whilst this is a step in the right direction, we will have to wait for precise details of how powerful the adjudicator will be. As well as being able to investigate suspected breaches of the Code of Practice, it is important that suppliers are able to report directly to the new body to ensure that the system works for producers, as well as consumers.
“There is much still to be clarified but this progress is definitely a move in the right direction of ensuring fairness in the food supply chain.”