A farmer has slammed major supermarkets for selling Christmas vegetables for as little as 8p, calling it an “insult” to the agricultural sector.
Speaking on GB News, Clive Bailye criticised retailers for pricing produce “way below the cost of production” after supermarkets including Asda and Aldi dropped festive vegetable prices to just 8p.
“They are almost giving these things away,” said Bailye. “It’s devaluing food. It’s no wonder our Government places no value on food or farming when it’s basically free in the supermarket.”
Asda and Aldi have reduced prices on key Christmas vegetables to 8p, with the offers running until December 24.
Clive Bailye said the prices of veg this Christmas are an ‘insult’
PA / GB NEWS
The deals include 1kg carrots, 500g sprouts, 360g broccoli, 500g parsnips and 2kg potatoes at Asda, available to all shoppers without requiring a loyalty card.
Aldi’s 8p range features carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, red and white cabbages, and broccoli.
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Clive Bailye spoke on GB News
GB NEWS
Other major supermarkets have also cut prices, with Tesco and Sainsbury’s offering vegetables at 15p for loyalty card holders.
In a striking revelation, Bailye said farmers are now purchasing supermarket vegetables to feed their livestock because it’s cheaper than regular animal feed.
“I’ve heard stories about farmers buying these carrots from the supermarkets in quantity because they can feed them to their animals cheaper than they can buy the feed for their livestock,” he told GB News.
Martin Daubney added that farmers are being “hammered” during what should be a “bumper payday” for the agricultural sector.
Veg can be bought for as little as 8p, ‘way below production value’, according to Bailye
PA
Bailye criticised supermarket claims about supporting farmers, stating: “Sometimes when supermarkets do buy one get one free they come to the farmers and say they’re going to support it. Occasionally they take a loss themselves but make no mistake, supermarkets don’t lose money.”
He pointed to Tesco’s £2.9 million profit last year as evidence of retailers’ strong financial position.
“Farmers have this 0.5 per cent return on their capital,” he added. “Retailers are a big part of the problem.”
Jack Ward, chief executive of British Growers, echoed concerns about the impact of deep discounting on the farming sector.
Speaking to The Guardian, he questioned whether such price cuts were cause for celebration, saying: “We are giving people a false impression of what’s involved in improving food.”
Ward explained that while retailers may absorb losses during festive promotions, growers bear the cost throughout the year through lower prices.”
Let’s not delude ourselves; the [cost of the] promotions are factored in somewhere along the way over the 12 months,” he said.
The farming sector is already facing pressure from Labour’s recent changes to inheritance tax rules for agricultural businesses.
Previously exempt farmers now face death duties, a move that sparked protests with 20,000 farmers gridlocking central London in November.
The Treasury aims to raise £520 million annually by 2030 from the inheritance tax changes.
The policy shift came despite Sir Keir Starmer telling the NFU’s farming conference last year that “farmers deserve better” and that “losing a farm was not like losing any other business.”
