The Groceries Code Adjudicator is set to move under the purview of Defra from 1 July 2026, the government has announced.
The government said moving the sponsorship from the Department of Business and Trade to Defra would align the regulator’s work with the department’s wider role.
The move was recommended by Baroness Minette Batters in her Farming Profitability Review, released last year, to streamline oversight of the grocery supply chain and strengthen links to the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator.
Farming minister Dame Angela Eagle said the move would “support a more joined-up approach to fairness across the food supply chain, while fully protecting its independence and statutory role”.
The GCA will remain fully independent and there will be no changes to its statutory role or enforcement powers. Meanwhile, the Groceries Supply Code of Practice will continue to be owned by the Competition and Markets Authority.
Read more: Farmers need a ‘new deal for profitable farming’, says Minette Batters
“I am looking forward to working more closely with Defra to continue to ensure fair treatment of direct suppliers to the designated retailers,” said Groceries Code Adjudicator Mark White.
The government said the transfer builds on wider action it has taken to ensure supply chains in the food sector are fair and transparent, including introducing fair dealing rules for dairy and pigs.
“We are backing our farmers by creating a level playing field right across the supply chain to ensure productive and profitable businesses can flourish,” said Eagle.
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