Stores pledge not to sell fruit and veg below cost

The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine has welcomed pledges made by Aldi, Lidl, Tesco and the Musgrave Group not to sell fruit and vegetables at below cost prices in the run-in to Christmas.

Last year, selling fruit and vegetables for a few cents per item provoked widespread farmer protests.

Committee Chairman Andrew Doyle, TD, said: “The Committee, bearing in mind the pressures on farm families across the country, would welcome a further undertaking for the pledge to cover all home produced fresh products including poultry.

“There would be no winners, should any retailer take a unilateral decision to run a similar promotional campaign to last Christmas.

“Consequently, the Committee calls on the remaining supermarket chains to promise not to run such a campaign in the coming weeks.”