The UK’s Conservative Party has said the Government’s plan to set up a supermarket ombudsman “is not the decisive action” that consumers or the industry need.
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Consumer minister Kevin Brennan this morning (13 January) announced he had accepted the Competition Commission’s recommendation for a body to enforce the Groceries Supply Code of Practice.
The code comes into force on 4 February and will be followed by a consultation on how best to enforce the regulations, including what form the ombudsman would take and what powers it would have.
However, Shadow Environment Secretary Nick Herbert, who last week announced the Conservative proposals to set up an ombudsman should the party gain office, said the Government’s plans are “unclear”.
“This is a step forward but this belated announcement of further consultation is not the decisive action that consumers or the industry need,” Herbert said. “Ministers have had since April 2008 to take forward the Competition Commission’s recommendation and now they still don’t know what shape the ombudsman should take.”
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By GlobalDataHe added: “Conservatives are clear – we would establish a supermarket ombudsman to enforce the grocery supply code as a dedicated unit in the Office of Fair Trading to ensure a fair deal for producers and safeguard the consumer interest.”
While the Government believes the code is a “great improvement” on the current regime, retailers have warned that the creation of a supermarket watchdog could drive up prices for consumers through unnecessary red-tape.
Farming bodies, however, including the National Farmers Union, have called for the creation of an ombudsman
