Speaking in the House of Lords yesterday, the Rt Rev Anthony Priddis said that the “inappropriate” and “at times pernicious practices” of supermarkets during the purchasing process was damaging the livelihoods of farmers.

“Labelling, promotions, payments, contracts and working practices remain of particular concern,” he said.

Supermarkets have been accused in recent years of driving farmers out of business by importing produce from abroad or paying farmers only at cost or below cost of production.

The bishop said that recent conversations with farmers had revealed that squeezes on profitability and the viability of primary producers “remain recurrent complaints”, particularly in the dairy sector, beef production and pig rearing.

He urged the Government to move to safeguard the future of British farmers and the farming sector as a whole.

“If we are to sustain and develop our farming, that requires, naturally enough, among other things, fair prices for our farmers,” he said.

“We do not want businesses to collapse, nor do we want there to be a lack of money for financial investment in the future.

“Achieving fair prices requires all of us, including the Government in terms of the contribution that they can make, to play a role.”

The bishop repeated calls for a groceries code adjudicator, which the Government has promised to introduce but not yet legislated for.

He said that an adjudicator would help to prevent an “unbalanced transfer of risk” to farmers and the “immoral” and “extremely damaging” abuse of power by those further up the chain.

“With the appropriate powers, the adjudicator will have the potential to address these injustices, which are impediments to the successful operation of the grocery supply chain in the long term, and to UK agriculture contributing to global food supply,” he said.