The National Farmers Union (NFU) has blasted news that it is unlikely that the UK government will look to legislate on the establishment of a grocery ombudsman until 2012.

Last week saw the admission that the country’s coalition government is unlikely to introduce a full formal Bill to establish a watchdog to oversee relations between suppliers and retailers, as called for by the UK’s Competition Commission in 2008, until the second session of Parliament in May 2012.

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The NFU said that it is calling on the government to bring legislation forward to the current session.

NFU vice president Gwyn Jones said that the news showed that “positive words” were not “being matched by action”.

“Farmers will continue to suffer from the transfer of excessive risk and unexpected costs by grocery retailers along the supply chain,” he warned. “And we will continue to witness the adverse effect on investment and innovation down the supply chain, and ultimately the impact this has on consumers.”

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