THE PROMOTIONAL OFFER that saw SuperValu customers receiving free vegetables when they bought roast beef will stop running from Sunday, after discussions between the retailer and the Irish Farmers Association (IFA).
A free vegetable promotion caused consternation among farmers last week, who sought an urgent meeting with SuperValu to address these concerns.
This week, farmers were again unhappy with a promotion that offered free onions and mushrooms to customers.
The IFA said that the retailer had informed them of the suspension of the current promotional programme, following their discussions.
IFA President Joe Healy said: “Following representations made by the IFA to SuperValu, the retailer has decided not to extend the current promotional programme beyond tomorrow, February 4th.
We will be meeting with the retailer again in the near future to express farmers’ anger at this type of promotion.
In response, SuperValu reiterated earlier comments it made regarding this promotion, and said it was committed to working with the IFA.
They said in a statement: “The promotional offer in question was agreed and welcomed by our suppliers and was funded by SuperValu.
We are committed to working with our suppliers to build long-term, sustainable partnerships and will continue to engage constructively with the IFA.
Last week, farmers expressed their fury at the promotion giving away a free 850g pack of carrots and a 2kg bag of rooster potatoes, accusing SuperValu of acting “unethically” and saying “this sort of stunt is a race to the bottom”.
They added that farmers would “bear the brunt of this type” of price promotion.
At the time, SuperValu emphasised that it had funded the entire cost of the promotion, and that it had “been planned and agreed in consultation with [their] suppliers”.
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