Forty-six MPs have written a letter to the six biggest supermarkets in the UK challenging their attitude to British farmers.

Anna Gelderd, MP for SE Cornwall is one of 46 Labour MPs who have written to the ‘big six’ UK supermarkets, to express concern about their unfair practices.

The MPs, drawn from across England, Wales and Scotland used the letter to raise concerns that farmers often receive as little as 1p profit from the food items they produce, whilst supermarkets are enjoying “excessive profits”.

In their letter, they highlight that over the last year alone, the ‘big six’ supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons, Asda, Lidl and Aldi made a combined total pre-tax profit of more than £5billion, “yet a typical 200-acre arable family farm in the UK makes just £27,300 in profit.”

The letter continues: “In a world where farmers and producers are struggling to make a living, and relying on Government grants and subsidies so that they can survive from one year to the next, this can’t be seen as fair or right.”

This fact is made even more concerning when not all supermarkets pay corporation tax in the UK, the MPs claim.

The letter also takes aim at the practice of ‘farmwashing,’ where misleading labelling gives consumers the false impression that products are locally sourced from family-run operations. The letter argues that this practice is not only misleading, but directly undermines the credibility of British agriculture.

Anna Gelderd, MP said: “Supermarkets are claiming to support UK farmers, but their actions suggest otherwise.

“Farmers and growers play a vital role in delivering the UK’s food sustainability, but yet they aren’t receiving a fair deal from the supermarkets. This has been going on for years, and has been left unchallenged for too long.

“Farmers deserve a fair deal, and consumers deserve honesty and transparency.”