Stephen Cadogan: Hard to get food industry fairness in an unequal battle

Farmers won’t hold their breath waiting for a better share of what EU consumers spend on food, even if European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan has claimed progress on this issue, in the form of the Slovak EU Presidency securing unanimous Council of Agriculture Ministers conclusions on strengthening the position of farmers, with Ministers also signing up to greater transparency on margins and prices, and agreeing clearer ways to achieve farmer co-operation.

There’s no shortage of high-level support for farmers on this issue, with a European Parliament vote by an overwhelming majority of 600 to 38 in June, calling for EU legislative action to tackle unfair trading practices.

Mr Hogan says farmers are being continuously squeezed by the clear imbalance of power between them, retailers and other links of the food supply chain.