Farmers deserve better from supermarkets

KIM BOOTH, Greens Primary Industries spokesperson, www.tas.greens.org.au
The Tasmanian Greens today joined the TFGA in calling for greater support for Tasmanian farmers in their fight to get better farm gate prices for their produce and also called on the ACCC to stop relying on desktop analysis of the relationship between farmers and the supermarkets, and get out in the field and find out what’s going on first hand.

Greens Primary Industries spokesperson Kim Booth MP said that the ACCC seemed to be buying the big supermarkets line and instead of telling others to “have a Bex and a good lie down” Graham Samuel needed to get his hands dirty out in the field and get ACCC officers to find out the truth of the harsh reality farmers are facing in their battle to negotiate with the power of big supermarkets.

Mr Booth also said that Tasmanian farmers needed more support from both the government and also member organisations, to make sure that their voice was being heard and their rights fought for, as the big supermarkets are a formidable force that hold all the aces when it comes to negotiating with producers.

“It’s time that there was a concerted effort by state and federal governments, along with member organisations like the TFGA, to bring the farmers’ fight to the frontline of politics and the media, and educate people as to how tough the producers are doing it while big supermarkets are making enormous profits at the other end,” Mr Booth said.

“The ACCC seems to be washing their hands of the issue and saying that the advent of other big chains like ‘Aldi’ are going to increase competition, but if new operators are as cut throat as the old, where does that leave producers?”

“It’s time a light was shone on the costs that the big supermarkets claim are involved in getting products like red meat from the paddock to the supermarket shelf, and the truth told about the profit levels big supermarkets enjoy out of their end of the deal.”

“I have talked to local operators who assure me that the figures the supermarkets are presenting on the costs involved in the purchase, processing and packaging of red meat, are very debatable and that the reality is that the farmer is being ground into the dirt whilst the supermarkets sit on a fat profit margin.”

“The Greens have fought for truth-in-labelling and rights for Aussie farmers for years and we will be stepping up our efforts to get the ACCC to do a proper investigation and to support producers in their fight to get a fair deal.”