Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to encourage the grocery code adjudicator to investigate milk prices paid by Meadow Foods.

The GCA is responsible for enforcing the Groceries Supply Code of Practice and was formed by the Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013. The Code governs the commercial relationships between the ten largest UK supermarkets and their direct suppliers, and reflects the findings of the Competition Commission’s market investigation into the supermarket sector conducted between 2006 and 2008. The Code does not cover the relationship between milk processors, such as Meadow Foods, and its farmers.

I have written to Meadow Foods to ask how it manages its relationship with farmers and to encourage it to sign up to the dairy industry code of best practice on contractual arrangements.