Supermarket ombudsman to protect suppliers

The coalition government has gone ahead with plans hatched by Labour to appoint a supermarket ombudsman to safeguard the interests of farmers and other suppliers. The groceries code adjudicator will be based within the Office of Fair Trading and will enforce the groceries supply code of practice, which came into force in February. The National Farmers' Union, which lobbied the government to appoint the ombudsman, has accused the big supermarkets of "bullyboy tactics" by trying to renegotiate contracts and reduce prices. According to the NFU's president, Peter Kendall, some farms have been forced out of business while others have decided to downscale.