National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Scotland has announced that it will be undertaking a survey of Scottish supermarket shelves, identifying how and where Scottish produce is being made available to buy.

On the Union’s behalf, an independent research firm will visit 73 stores across Scotland, looking at beef, lamb, pork, chicken, soft fruit, vegetables and dairy products (milk, cheese, butter and yoghurt) on offer in Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Co-op, Marks and Spencer, Lidl and Aldi stores.

The survey intends to “celebrate good practice” while identifying stores where more can be done, and aims to highlight how consumers and retailers can “build their support” for Scottish farmers and crofters. It will look at the country of origin of the goods being offered, identify if they are Scottish, British or imported, and also look at the price.

It will be the first of four ‘ShelfWatch’ surveys to be carried out on behalf of NFU Scotland in the next 12 months and the first set of results will be presented at the Union’s National AGM, conference and annual dinner, taking place at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow on 8th and 9th February.

Retailers were notified in advance and have been invited to join a panel session at the AGM to discuss the results.

Major retailers have a role to play, says Kennedy

NFU Scotland president Martin Kennedy said: “Primary producers provide all of society with the one thing that we cannot do without, which is food. However, securing a fair return from the marketplace, while carrying all the risk, remains a real challenge for farmers and crofters.

“The ways in which Scottish consumers can support local produce through the likes of local shops and butchers, farm shops, farmers’ markets and direct sales from the farm are growing. But supermarkets are by far the dominant force when it comes to food sales. It is right that, through this major independent retail survey, we shine a light on whether they are meeting their responsibilities.

“The first results from this survey, to be revealed at our AGM and Conference, will give us a fantastic opportunity to not only hold our retailers to account and highlight to our consumers what is going on in some shops, but also give credit to those who are tremendous supporters of local food production within Scotland.

“All major retailers have a role to play if we are to genuinely tackle the depending food security crisis. The results of this survey give us a platform for future discussions with supermarkets on responsible treatment of suppliers and guaranteed delivery of a fair price to producers for the food they produce. All retailers are invited to join us at our AGM to highlight what commitments they are undertaking to support Scottish farmers and crofters.”