10 December 2025
The government has launched its consultation on fairness in the combinable crops supply chain.
NFU members consistently report that the supply chain does not operate fairly, and has not done so for many years. This consultation presents the opportunity of a generation to convince Defra that it needs to legislate to ensure the supply chain operates fairly and transparently.
Track the progress of this consultation below and find out how to have your say.
10 December 2025
The consultation opened on Wednesday 10 December and will run for 23 weeks until Wednesday 4 February 2026.
The NFU will be engaging with members through various formats, including online webinars and regional board meetings. However, the most important action members can take is to complete the consultation directly on the government page.
Members have three options when filling out the survey:
It is essential that every member completes the simple tick boxes, stating whether they believe the supply chain operates fairly, and whether government intervention is required. This will ensure the quantitative analysis of the consultation responses reflects your views. If you only do this and do not complete the free format text boxes, this will only take you 5-10 minutes.
As well as completing the tick boxes, think about examples of how you have been affected by issues which made you feel like you were not treated fairly, and share these in the free format text boxes. If you feel the need to, you can make your response confidential.
In addition to your own experiences, consider other contractual clauses which could impact on the imbalance of power when selling your grain.
The Crops Board has shared a helpful guide which highlights some of the key topics they have been discussing in recent years, which relate to specific questions in the consultation.
The government will only intervene if the consultation evidences the need for new legislation. If the consultation responses do not reflect a need to intervene, the onward supply chain will not be obligated to change.
The NFU will submit a comprehensive response based on our member engagement, but it will only represent a single response in the quantitative data analysis. It is therefore essential that all members respond directly to the government consultation.
Once you have submitted your query someone from NFU CallFirst will contact you. If needed, your query will then be passed to the appropriate NFU policy team.
