Woolworths' cancellation churlish say veggie growers

Woolworths has retaliated to vocal opposition to Jamie's Garden campaign by cancelling a meeting between vegetable growers and international buyers, according to peak body Ausveg.

Woolworths had a longstanding commitment to allow international buyers from crucial Asian export markets to visit a distribution centre in Sydney, according to Ausveg, and these buyers were due to visit the Woolworths facility next week.

“My staff received a call from a Government Relations executive at Woolworths this morning informing us the relevant people are ‘no longer available’ for the visit to the distribution centre next week,” said Ausveg CEO, Richard Mulcahy.

“This churlish action by Woolworths is not in the national interest given that both industry and the Australian Government have identified expanding export markets as a crucial priority for the future growth of our industry.”

The cancellation follows a recent press conference in which Ausveg and Independent Senator Nick Xenophon voiced their opposition to a new levy on growers from Woolworths to help it pay for its latest Jamie Oliver marketing campaign involving a range of sensory stickers and sticker album collectables.

They claimed the supermarket is charging farmers an unsustainable 40c-per-crate levy to pay for the new campaign, on top of the 2.5 to 5 per cent fee growers are already required to pay Woolworths to market and promote their produce, though Woolworths has said the contribution was voluntary.

“Woolworths are certainly not winning friends in the Australian vegetable industry, nor with customers by taking such a belligerent attitude on matters of such critical importance to our nation,” said Mulcahy.

“Cancelling the visit is a retrograde step and represents a further blow to Australian vegetable growers who have already been asked to wear costs associated with Woolworth’s Jamie Oliver campaign.”

Mulcahy also reiterated that he had written to Jamie Oliver to plead him to ask Woolworths to refund money to struggling farmers, who had already paid for the campaign.

“I repeat my call for Mr Oliver to intervene in this matter on behalf of the hard-working growers who supply Woolworths,” he said.

According to Fairfax Media, Jamie Oliver was aware of the protest.

"At the end of the day, Jamie supports anyone who is prepared to help promote better food education and better nutrition," said his publicity manager Peter Berry in London.

"And in this case that means Woolworths and the many farmers and growers who have signed up for this important initiative to whom Jamie is very grateful."