Watchdog intervenes in Yorkshire farmer’s £3.7m sprout dispute with Aldi
The grocery industry watchdog is to make a rare intervention in a Yorkshire sprout grower’s £3.7m legal case against Aldi over the discount chain’s decision to terminate a long-term supply deal.In papers filed at the high court, W Clappison Ltd, which produced sprouts for Aldi’s UK arm for 13 years, said its supply agreement was ended in February last year at planting time without reasonable notice so it was unable to find new clients immediately.It said it was forced to cease sprout production and sell off its machinery.The farmer, who claims to have been Yorkshire’s last commercial sprout grower, says in the papers his business had bought land and equipment based on assurances of ongoing demand from Aldi, which represented almost 40% of its sales, with other customers including Morrisons and Iceland.
The lawsuit alleges Aldi’s behaviour was in breach of the groceries supply code of practice (GSCOP), a set of rules for dealing with suppliers by which large retailers must abide.The rules are overseen by the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) – currently Mark White – who can carry out investigations and issue fines of up to 1% of UK sales if he finds wrongdoing.A spokesperson for White said: “The GCA has applied to intervene in the proceedings to assist the court in resolving the groceries code matters in dispute between the parties.” The intervention was first reported by trade news site the Grocer.In 2022, White said he had “intensified” talks with supermarkets, partly because of concerns about products being delisted without reasonable notice.
However, in the GCA’s survey of suppliers this year, 14% said this remained a key issue, the same proportion as the prior year.Aldi wrote to Clappison several weeks after ending the supply contract by phone saying this was due to the grower’s terms “being uncommercial and Aldi looking to consolidate business”.The supermarket said it gave six months’ notice and it had consulted and agreed a timetable for its annual tendering process and found its scheme appropriate.Sign up to Business TodayGet set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morningafter newsletter promotionAn Aldi spokesperson added: “We are disappointed by the claims made by W Clappison Ltd as we go to great lengths to follow the relevant codes of best practice for managing supplier relationships.“This is why we have consistently been ranked as one of the top supermarkets for conducting relationships fairly, in good faith and without duress in the GSCOP annual survey.
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Record losses and bumper bonuses – the pay row tearing apart English rugby
When the Rugby Football Union published its annual report at the end of November, on the back of a lacklustre autumn campaign for England, it emerged the chief executive, Bill Sweeney, was paid £1.1m for the year ending June 2024, which included a one-off £358,000 bonus as part of a long-term incentive plan (LTIP) scheme. It also emerged five other executive directors shared a bonus of close to £1m while the annual report showed record losses to reserves of £42m. In the ensuing weeks the calls for the chairman, Tom Ilube, and Sweeney to go have grown louder across all levels of the English game.Put simply, because it made Sweeney the best paid chief executive at a British sports governing body – excluding payouts – at a time when the union announced record losses and 42 redundancies
England must accept the need for ruthlessness alongside entertainment | Mark Ramprakash
Sometimes I feel this England team can’t take two steps forward without doing something that makes me think they’ve gone backwards. So much progress has been made, so many reasons for optimism provided before a year that is likely to define them. But then they end it with a display that forces me to wonder whether they have it in them to become the best in the world, to win the World Test Championship, to be more than just entertainers.Ben Stokes says he hates the word “ruthless”, but I am puzzled by him attaching a negative connotation to a word that is synonymous with all the greatest teams in the history of sport. No team relishes facing talented and ruthless opponents – well England have the talent, but not the attitude
Fury channels destructive intentions for deeply personal Usyk rematch
British heavyweight is intent on setting the record straight after his defeat in May but this showdown goes far beyond boxingThis has been a year like no other for Tyson Fury. He has again earned vast fortunes but, as he prepares to climb into the ring to once more face Oleksandr Usyk in the early hours of Sunday morning in Riyadh, 2024 has until now been defined most clearly by loss. In May, Fury endured the first defeat of a professional career which began 16 years ago this month. Usyk won a split decision over him to become the first undisputed world heavyweight champion this century.Far more significantly, and in a devastating personal tragedy, Paris Fury suffered a miscarriage the day before the fight
The Wallpark bids to continue Irish jumps domination in the Long Walk
Only four of Britain’s 38 Grade One events over jumps have yet to be won by a horse trained in Ireland, and the list could be down to three after the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot on Saturday, when four of the 10-strong field, including Gordon Elliott’s progressive six-year-old, The Wallpark (2.25), will be running for Irish stables.The Wallpark has had an unconventional preparation for Saturday’s race with one race a month from May to October, when he was an impressive winner under 11st 7lb in a handicap at Cheltenham’s first meeting of the winter campaign.That was The Wallpark’s first run over three miles and marked a career-best with the clear possibility of better still to come, not least as the quirks he showed earlier in his career for Elliott now seem to be on the wane.Strong Leader, the winner of Newbury’s Long Distance Hurdle in November, is the top-rated runner in the field and is the obvious leader of the home team, while Crambo, last year’s winner, is also in the field, though he has not been out since finishing down the field behind Strong Leader in the Grade One Liverpool Hurdle in April
NFL playoff race: Lamar Jackson and Ravens out to snap Pittsburgh hoodoo
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4) v Baltimore Ravens (9-5)The battle for the AFC North nears its climax with two bitter rivals gutting it out for hallowed home-field advantage in the playoffs. If the Pittsburgh Steelers continue their hot streak and earn a fifth successive win in Baltimore then the division is theirs while the Ravens can clinch a playoff spot with victory and see a path to the top of the class if Mike Tomlin’s team fall to the Chiefs or Bengals to close out the season.Both teams will feel they have an edge on the other as the Ravens have flattered to deceive at times (see: defeats to Raiders and Browns), while the Steelers have struggled to move the ball without George Pickens. John Harbaugh’s team boasts a total offense that rivals Buffalo and Detroit in efficiency and explosiveness. The incredible tandem of quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry can tie even the best defense in knots on their day
Chess: Gukesh and India celebrate after win but new challenges are emerging
Gukesh Dommaraju, 18, had a rapturous reception from Indian fans when he flew back to Chennai after deposing China’s Ding Liren for the world title 7.5-6.5 by winning their 14th and final game in Singapore.It was an occasion which, in Indian terms, could only have been surpassed in intensity by a winning IPL cricket team, while its English equivalent would be a home city football celebration for Premier or Champions League winners.The underlying message was that India’s chess ecosystem is strong, with over 80 grandmasters, over 120 international masters, and tens of thousands of rated players
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