Farmers and gardeners get more power against supermarkets

Minister Schouten of Agriculture wants to strengthen the position of farmers and horticulturists who receive too low a price for their products from supermarkets. She wants to help them by allowing farmers and market gardeners to make agreements with each other in order to gain more market power. "We want to get a fair price for our products. The price for a product is rising in the supermarket, while the price we get is falling," says LLTB board member Thijs Rompelberg. "Also, the requirements in terms of, for example, the environment have only increased."

Law proposal before summer

It is prohibited by law to make price agreements. Minister Schouten has indicated that she will come up with a bill to change this before the summer. Schouten is referring to a special exception in the competition rules that Europe made possible for cooperating farmers at the end of last year. "We can go together to a new dispute committee if we disagree with prices, for example. That is important to us," says Rompelberg. This independent arbitration board will assess whether there are any 'unfair trade practices'. The verdicts of the arbitration board are then binding.

Research for a fair price for farmers in practice

In addition, Minister Schouten is launching two studies. The Taskforce Verdienvermogen will map the earning models of farmers. "With falling prices and new demands from society regarding climate, biodiversity and animal welfare, farmers must be able to continue to make ends meet financially," says Schouten. In addition, the Authority Consumer & Market (ACM) is launching an investigation into the distribution of value in the food chain. The so-called 'Agronutri-monitor' should provide more insight into the pricing of agricultural products in practice. The first edition of this study is expected in mid-2020.

Sources: The Financieele Dagblad, LLTB