Roger Williams MP
Taking part in DEFRA Questions in the House of Commons, Roger Williams MP welcomed the new Secretary of State for Defra, Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP, to her new post and said that during Question Time she had already demonstrated that she was totally committed to the quality of food that was produced by British farmers and to its marketing of British food.
Roger questioned her on the commitment of large supermarkets, like Tesco, to selling British products during their seasonal peak production. He continued that it appeared that Tesco was discounting New Zealand lamb at a time when best quality UK lamb was available and should be the main promotion effort for the supermarkets.
Commenting, Roger Williams MP said:
“During Defra Questions today I questioned the commitment of large supermarkets to selling British products. Tesco is currently discounting New Zealand lamb at a time when best quality UK lamb is available and I believe that large supermarkets should be mainly focusing on promoting UK products.
“I shall be writing to Defra and to the Welsh Government to ensure that Hybu Cig Cymru and Eblex reinforce their marketing, both on the retail level and through exports. The fall in lamb and beef prices will have a dramatic effect on the profitability of livestock farms across the UK. Inevitably, this will mean that farmers will reduce their livestock numbers and supplies for supermarkets will dry up so it is in the supermarkets’ interest to maintain a decent price for our wonderful products.”
