BRITISH farmers protested outside Parliament today, calling on MPs to support tougher regulations to protect them from unfair treatment by the big six supermarkets.

More than 110,000 people signed a petition pressing the government to overhaul the grocery supply code of practice, and dozens of scarecrows popped up as MPs debated reforms to the supply chain.

Veg-box firm Riverford Organic, which started the petition, said farmers are likely to go out of business in the next 12 months, with many blaming supermarkets’ buying practices as a threat to their livelihoods.

The petition calls for regulations that ensure supermarkets adhere to fair purchasing agreements, including buying agreed quantities and paying the agreed amount on time without exception.

Riverford said current government policies failed to provide adequate support for farmers and were rarely enforced.

The campaign has the support of celebrities and leading food industry figures, as well as organisations such as Sustain and The Soil Association.

Riverford Organic founder Guy Singh-Watson said: “British agriculture is on its knees. The livelihoods of our farmers are being laid to waste.

“Our 49 scarecrows outside Parliament illustrate the 49 per cent of farmers on the brink of leaving our industry, and I hope this hammers home to those in power the sheer scale of the problem and the urgent need for change.

“Without fairer treatment for farmers, the reality is the destruction of British farming along with the landscape, wildlife and rural communities it once supported.

“For farmers, the clock is ticking.”

A Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs spokesperson said it is “only right” that British farmers should be paid a fair price and the government’s review of the supply chain will “help address these concerns.”