Ms Tacon will be responsible for enforcing the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP), which regulates interactions between the ten largest supermarkets with an annual turnover of over £1bn and their direct suppliers.
The NFU has consistently called for a GCA to ensure a level playing field in the grocery supply chain, for the adjudicator to have the power to take credible evidence from reputable sources, and to be able to fine retailers for breaking the GSCOP.
NFU head of food and farming Phil Hudson said: “This is an important step forward and will reassure farmers that progress continues to be made to introduce an adjudicator that will have the necessary ‘teeth’ to curb the abuses of power that can undermine farmers and the supply chain, with implications for consumers.
"We lobbied Government for an independent adjudicator who can enforce the GSCOP, and can ensure a level playing field across the supply chain, and we are pleased to see this has come to fruition. Now Ms Tacon has been appointed, we look forward to her taking up post and quickly getting to grips with the issues affecting our members. Once she has formally taken up her role we will look to meet her to discuss our concerns over the way in which the supply chain operates."