Andrew Griffiths – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Griffiths on 2015-10-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Groceries Code Adjudicator in assisting farmers who have been unfairly treated by large retailers.

Anna Soubry

The Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) regulates the relationships between the ten largest supermarkets and their direct suppliers only. The Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013 requires the Secretary of State to conduct and consult on a review every three years into the operational effectiveness of the GCA. The first of these reviews will cover the period from the establishment of the GCA in June 2013 to March 2016.

The Act requires that the review must, in particular:

• Consider how much the GCA’s powers have been exercised; and
• Assess how effective the GCA has been in enforcing the Groceries Supply Code of Practice.