Angered by supermarket gouging, Premier steps in to protect farmers and families
Queensland Premier Steven Miles says there needs to be tougher penalties for retailers found to be price gouging.
Mr Miles is set to meet with supermarket bosses on Thursday, and said he hopes to get answers about the discrepancy between what farmers say they’re getting for their produce and what consumers pay at the checkout.
He said some stories from farmers were “harrowing” and no one should be treated the way some had been.
“These are important people, they our families, they work hard every day and I don’t want to see them walking off their farms because the land is more valuable than what they can get for their produce and because they’ve been treated poorly by supermarkets,” he told ABC TV.
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The premier’s comments come after the federal government announced a review of the Food and Grocery code of conduct, aimed at improving business standards in the sector.
Mr Miles welcomed the review.
“My personal view is that (the code) shouldn’t be voluntary, it should be mandatory,” he said.
“There should be tougher penalties that make people think twice about price gouging.”
