Some six in 10 farmers say they consider their farm to be at financial risk because of supermarket buying behaviour, with the industry branding the current regulatory scheme “unfit for purpose”.

Some 68% of farmers say making a living through farming has “never been harder” while 69% believe the buying relationship between growers and retailers has deteriorated, according to a study led by vegetable box company Riverford.

Almost every farmer surveyed (99%) said they had faced at least one ‘unfair’ practice, including cancelled orders, late payments, and unfavourable, unfair or unprofitable pricing.

Supermarkets rejecting produce over unreasonable demands, such as requiring a specific colour, size or shape, leading to waste or a lower price that does not cover costs, are also cited, as

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