British fruit and vegetable producers plan to protest in front of parliament in London on Monday against “unfair” purchasing contracts with six major retail brands in the country, AFP reports, citing Agerpres

They claim that almost half of them will have to go out of business in the next 12 months because of the lack of regulation in the agri-food sector.

Farmers are demanding that the “big six” – Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Aldi and Lidl – stick to their commitments “without exception” regarding the quantity of produce bought and the price. They plan to bring 49 scarecrows to parliament, representing the percentage of farmers who risk abandoning their crops.

The demonstration came on the day MPs are due to debate a petition calling for a complete overhaul of the code of good practice for the food supply chain. Launched on the initiative of Riverford Organic, which produces and sells fruit and vegetable baskets, the petition has collected more than 112,000 signatures.

“British agriculture is on its knees” and “the livelihoods of our farmers have been reduced to zero,” says founder Guy Singh-Watson. “Without fairer treatment of farmers, we will see the destruction of British agriculture and landscapes, fauna. and rural communities that he once supported,” he insisted.

For the demonstrators, only tough government regulation can allow farmers to get better deals with big retailers.

“It’s perfectly normal for British farmers and producers to pay a fair price, and the fairness assessment of our supply chain will help address these issues,” said a spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Farmers are “vital” to the country’s food system, he added, noting that they provide 60% of the food consumed in Britain.