Many 'back supermarket watchdog'

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Eight out of 10 people, or 81%, questioned online said they would like to see an ombudsman to monitor and punish supermarkets which treat suppliers such as farmers unfairly.

The poll of 2,124 people in November was released by the Cross Cutting Group, an alliance of consumers, farmers and businesses.

The group includes Traidcraft, the fair trade organisation, the National Farmers' Union of England and Wales, the Campaign to Protect Rural England and Friends of the Earth.

The findings come after the Competition Commission published proposals last year for an independent ombudsman to be appointed to oversee the UK's supermarkets.

A new Groceries Supply Code of Practice would replace the existing code, extending it to all UK grocery retailers with a turnover greater than £1 billion. The ombudsman would be appointed to investigate suspected breaches of the new code.

It is expected that within a month the commission will launch 30 days' public consultation over its proposals for the new code.

The commission will also submit to retailers its plans for a watchdog to police the code.

The YouGov survey for the Cross Cutting Group showed 81% thought practices such as paying suppliers less than agreed sums and fining them for short deliveries despite less than a day's notice were "unacceptable".

A majority, or 59%, said they would consider switching to another supermarket if they found the chain where they did their main shopping had carried out these practices.