The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) recently met with Brecon, Radnor & Cwm Tawe Member of Parliament, David Chadwick to discuss a range of issues facing Welsh farmers, including the need to secure fairer prices for farmers and food producers across the UK.

The meeting followed the Welsh Liberal Democrat MP’s efforts over recent months to strengthen the Groceries Code Adjudictator (GCA), improving fairness for farmers and producers within the supply chain.

The Groceries Code Adjudicator was established in 2013 to regulate the relationship between large grocery retailers and their direct suppliers, including farmers. However, the GCA has come under increased criticism over recent years due to its limited scope, resource constraints, enforcement challenges, and broader structural issues within the grocery sector.

These failures were highlighted in Parliament earlier this year in a Westminster Hall debate led by David Chadwick MP focussing on the agricultural supply chain. During the debate he highlighted concerns over supermarket treatment of farmers and the effectiveness of regulatory bodies.

The Brecon, Radnor & Cwm Tawe has since joined a range of cross-party MPs in sponsoring the Food Supply Chain Fairness Bill, which would see the role of the Groceries Code Adjudicator strengthened, among other provisions aimed at improving fairness within the supply chain.

The Bill, introduced to Parliament in March 2025 by Alistair Carmichael, Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and Member of Parliament for Orkney and Shetland, would also support greater public procurement of locally produced food and enhanced origin labelling requirements.

Commenting following the meeting FUW Deputy President, Dai Miles said: “The FUW has long argued that the Westminster Government should take necessary action to redress the imbalance in the powers held by primary producers, processors and retailers.

Whilst the establishment of the GCA over a decade ago was an important step forward, it has become increasingly apparent it lacks the scope, resources and enforcement to effectively safeguard the interests of farmers and producers.

We therefore welcomed the opportunity to meet David Chadwick MP and discuss efforts to deliver a stronger, fairer voice for farmers within the supply chain.”

The meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss many of the wider challenges and changes facing Welsh agriculture, including the repercussions of the US-UK trade agreement, and continued concern over the UK Government’s proposed change to the Agricultural Property Relief (APR).

David Chadwick, Member of Parliament for Brecon, Radnor & Cwm Tawe added: “Unfairness in the supply chain is one of the biggest issues raised with me by farmers and producers in my constituency and I am happy to be working with stakeholders like the FUW and a cross-party group of MPs to try and the imbalances in the system we see.

“The farming sector is facing unprecedented challenges in recent years and I look forward to continuing to work with the FUW to ensure farmers and producers are heard in Westminster and we get the best possible outcomes for our rural communities.”