How can primary producers hope to be successful, given that they provide the basic product?
20. Mr Anderson: Unless the supply chain works together, the consumer will not be satisfied. Each party has a unique role to play within the food chain. The food chain is not as efficient as it could be. If the chain is brought together in task forces and working groups to deal with the real issues that everyone faces, we may be able to provide solutions to those problems. The primary producer has a key role in providing an output that is safe, of a high quality and of the lowest cost that will enable the rest of the chain to perform. 21. Mr Savage: Let us turn the clock back to pre-BSE times. The housewife was paying a certain price for beef. Since then, the price to the producer has dropped by 35p to 40p per kilo, yet the housewife is still paying the same price. Where is that extra 35p to 40p going? 22. Mr Anderson: In our sector of the industry there are enormous extra costs in meeting the strict requirements of legislation and the supermarkets. Supermarkets compete with one anothe
