Tesco’s “aggressive expansion” is taking its toll on local communities and the environment, according to Friends of the Earth.
Commenting on record annual profits for Tesco announced today, Friends of the Earth’s food campaigner Helen Rimmer said: “It’s not surprising that Tesco’s profits are so high – the chain controls a third of the UK grocery market and its aggressive expansion is having a disastrous effect both on local communities and the environment.
“Supermarkets like Tesco are lining their pockets while bullying farmers into producing more for less – forcing them to import cheap animal feed from South America where companies growing soy are trashing rainforests and habitats.
“The fightback against the Tesco takeover is building, with more than 300 community campaigns against new Tesco stores around the country.
“The next Government must do more to support small retailers and introduce new rules to reign in the bully-boy tactics of the major supermarkets and provide a fairer deal for farmers and consumers alike.”
Friends of the Earth is calling on the Government to introduce stronger national and local planning policy to curb supermarket dominance and out-of-town development and instead support independent shops, local economies and a broader choice of retail for communities.
The green campaigning charity says an independent Ombudsman with teeth is needed to pro-actively investigate supermarkets’ buying practices, protect suppliers’ anonymity, act on complaints from primary producers and third parties, and impose fines and name and shame supermarkets found to be breaking the industry code of practice.
Source: Friends of the Earth
