Lidl’s Living Wage will ring hollow for Farmers and Fresh Produce Suppliers – IFA

IFA President Eddie Downey said that the move by Lidl to provide a living wage for their staff will ring hollow in the minds of farmers and fresh produce suppliers struggling to make any profit as a result of relentless pressure from retailers like Lidl to do more for less.

He said hundreds of small family run vegetable suppliers and producers have been forced out of business over the last number of years by the aggressive pricing policies of retailers.

Eddie Downey said everyone was entitled to a living wage, but not at the expense of someone else in the supply chain. Would Lidl like to tell its customers what they are going to do to ensure that farmers and others supplying them will get a living wage?

Mr Downey warned that extra business costs of retailers can no longer be at the expense of suppliers and he called on Lidl and other retailers to immediately move to pay all their suppliers a price that ensures primary producers in the food supply chain get a fair reward for their hard work and investment.