Supermarkets Report Offers Nothing to Farmers or Small Shops

11.42.13pm GMT Thu 21st Feb 2008

The Government should create a strong supermarket regulator to guarantee fair trade and fair prices

Critics have called the recent Competition Commission report a "death warrant" for small shops because it calls for an increase in supermarkets within a local region rather than protecting independent stores.

The report recommends forcing supermarkets to sell off their land banks to rival supermarkets if they have a large local presence but to completely ignore demands to assist smaller traders against the brunt of price-cutting promotions and farmers against unfair negotiating tactics.

The Liberal Democrats hold that this report is completely supermarket-centric. Worrying about competition between different supermarkets completely misses the point. The Competition Commission should instead focus on ensuring fair practice between supermarkets, farmers and smaller shops. The Government should create a strong supermarket regulator to guarantee fair trade and fair prices for farmers, ensuring that these big companies can't use their power to exploit small producers.