IFA targets ‘unscrupulous, predatory pricing’ by supermarkets

THE Irish Farmers Association last night launched a campaign to target supermarkets’ use of food as a loss leader and expose the exploitation of producers when they are bullied into special offers at below the cost of production.

“This unscrupulous, predatory pricing by supermarkets is most extreme in fresh produce, where the growers’ bargaining power is weakest, and threatens to wipe out our remaining Irish potato, vegetable and fruit growers,” said IFA president Padraig Walshe.

Mr Walshe said predatory pricing by supermarkets ranks on the same scale of threat to farmers as climate change and WTO.