Grocery competition moves are welcomed

8:32am Friday 9th May 2008

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MOVES to help local farmers, grocers and butchers to be more competitive with supermarkets have been welcomed.

After a two-year inquiry, the Competition Commission published its report into the groceries market, recommending that tighter restrictions are imposed on supermarkets to help local traders to continue.

Sedbergh butcher Garth Steadman, said: "I think it will help people to turn around and recognise that at local shops, supplied by local farmers, the quality of food they receive is so much better.

"The quality of meat at a butchers is so much better, the skills of the butchers are so much better."

Mr Steadman, who recently gave a talk to the town's Women's Institute about why people should support local butchers, added: "Supermarkets have ruined many town centres because they have taken people out of the town and the shops that are left behind struggle. Twelve years ago there were 20,000 butchers in the country, now there are 7,000."

The Commission declared that action was needed to improve competition in local markets, recommending that a 'competition test' is included in planning decisions on larger grocery stores, so that the effect on local butchers and greengrocers is taken into account.

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