PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
SUPERMARKET PROFITS (20 April 1998)

That this House welcomes the March 1998 inquiry by the BBC Radio 4 programme Farming Today into retail profits on beef sales; notes that on the bullock particularly examined the farmer incurred a loss of ú32 while the retailer made a potential gross margin of ú881 (120 per cent); observes that the major supermarket chains continue to report record profits; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to initiate a comprehensive investigation of anti-competitive tendencies and excessive profiteering in the food retail sector, at the expense of both the primary producer and the consumer.

Sponsored by:
Lord Tyler (Liberal Democrat)