Fruit and vegetable growers in Britain are organizing a “scarecrow” demonstration on Monday morning in front of Parliament, to protest the “unfair” treatment by the country’s supermarkets, which threatens their existence, as they put it.
Guy Singh-Watson, one of the organizers of the demonstration, said that the participants will place 49 scarecrows in front of the British Parliament, indicating that 49% of farmers are about to give up their profession.
Singh-Watson added that “British agriculture is exhausted,” noting that the government is not providing adequate support to farmers.
Farmers are demanding that supermarkets adhere to fair purchasing agreements, including purchasing agreed-upon quantities and paying amounts due on time.
Farmers warn that the current method of dealing will cause them to stop working in the next 12 months.
This protest is being held while representatives are discussing a petition from farmers to reform grocery store supply chain procedures.
A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson confirmed: “It is right that British farmers receive fair prices, and our review into supply chain fairness will help address these concerns.”
“Good food ends up rotting in the fields, farmers are left without paying for their crops, and without a stable and reliable income they struggle to survive,” he said.
Leading British farmers wrote an open letter to supermarkets last year warning against practices such as sometimes refusing to buy whole crops “at the last minute”.
Last December, the British retail sector recorded the largest decline in nearly 3 years, raising fears of a recession.
Sales volume decreased by 3.2% last month, declining from an increase of 1.4% in the previous month, according to data from the British Office of National Statistics last Friday.
It faced supermarkets in Britain last year A shortage in supplies of some types of fruits and vegetables in light of the decline in local production and reliance on imports that are affected by climate and economic changes and geopolitical events.
