Potato growers gathered outside an Asda distribution depot in Larne Co. Antrim yesterday (Saturday, December 21) to protest unfair pricing.
The protest followed the supermarket’s decision to slash the price of potatoes in its stores, with two kilo bags on sale in Asda outlets for 8p each over recent days.
The produce on ‘special offer’ had been packed in Great Britain and subsequently brought into Northern Ireland.
Around 10 farmers and seven tractors gathered outside the distribution centre, calling for ASDA to stop importing potatoes from Great Britain and to end the special promotion with immediate effect.
A protester commented: “We do not need potatoes coming in from Great Britain. There are lots of high quality, home grown potatoes available at the present time.
“The action taken by Asda has totally decimated the local potato market, leaving farmers to carry the burden of it all.
“There are literally thousands of tonnes of potatoes in store on farms across Northern Ireland. This is the produce that should be featuring on Asda shelves at realistic prices.”
According to the farmers taking part in the protest, their actions served the desired purpose.
They claim that a number of lorries were prevented from entering and leaving the ASDA depot on what was described as the busiest Saturday of the year for the supermarket.
The protesters also called for a regulation system to be put in place, which would prevent supermarkets from selling produce at below cost of production prices.
Meanwhile, Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) chief executive, Wesley Aston, has confirmed that his organisation will be meeting with all the supermarkets in Northern Ireland over the coming weeks in order to secure pricing policies that fully reflect farmers’ full costs of production.
He said: “Individual retailers may well say that they are covering the costs of specific, cut-price promotions. But this still leaves open the door for other to push ahead with special offers while expecting farmers to cover the costs.”
The UFU chief executive described the situation and the supermarket’s decision as “totally unacceptable.”
An Asda spokesperson said: “The overwhelming majority of our potatoes sold in Northern Irish stores are locally sourced and we are proud to support local growers in Northern Ireland all year round, and we regularly meet with the UFU to reaffirm our commitments and discuss our sourcing policies.
“We have brought in the 8p veg offer this year to support families when they need it most around Christmas time, by providing healthy ingredients at the lowest prices of all the major supermarkets.”
“We understand the frustration from local growers around imported produce being used in these offers and have been listening carefully to their feedback over the past few days.
“We have agreed to discuss these concerns further with the UFU early in the New Year,” the spokesperson added.
