School of Social and Political Science

Description

Abstract:

The impact of power imbalance in the food supply chain and in particular on farmers and small-scale producers is nothing new. Multinational companies are dominant, having taken control over much of food retail and food manufacturing. Whether they purchase directly or through intermediaries from farmers and growers, it is on their terms. Beyond price, delivery terms and increasingly outrageous trade practices, requirements now also extend to the meeting of particular sustainability criteria and certification schemes. Agricultural policies and subsidy schemes are changing and no longer covering core production per se, but aim to incentivise regenerative and greening practises. This comes at a time when production patterns are disrupted by extreme weather, while input costs remain high, leading to an even tighter squeeze on farmers’ bottom lines. This has affected the appreciation of farming as a business, which already suffers from minimal participation of younger generations in farming. According to EU documentation only 12% of farmers below 40 years of age and the average age of the EU farmer is 57 years. The situation in the UK is not dissimilar. Against this background, the presentation will examine a range of regulatory responses at EU level and UK levels, from action on unfair contract terms to due diligence obligations, facilitation of producer organisations to boost farmers’ competitiveness to transparency measures and assess their effectiveness and likelihood of success in increasing fairness in the food supply chain.