Pembrokeshire’s Assembly Members have condemned a price-fixing scandal which has seen the county’s dairy farmers losing thousands of pounds. The Office of Fair Trading has provisionally found Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, as well as dairy processors, guilty of colluding to increase the price of dairy products. Consumers were charged an extra 3p for a pint of milk, but the rise in price was not passed on to the farmers meaning that both producers and consumers lost out.

“This is a very serious allegation and I am pleased that the OFT has taken the matter so seriously,” said Preseli Pembrokeshire AM Paul Davies.

“I have said for some time now that the supermarkets have got too much purchasing power.  I would like to introduce a statutory code of conduct to ensure there is agreement between producers and supermarkets.” 

Angela Burns, AM for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, said: “This has only confirmed what farmers have suspected for years - that the supermarkets’ claims that they have farmers interests at heart is nothing more than marketing spin.   

“The supermarkets and dairies now have an obligation to do the right thing for their suppliers and customers.”