Horticulture: London Wholesale Markets Review
In June 2002, Nicholas Saphir was appointed to undertake an independent review of London's wholesale markets. The review is available in two parts in Adobe Acrobat PDF format below:
- Review of London wholesale markets: Part 1 (321 KB)
- Review of London wholesale markets: Part 2 (211 KB)
The review looked at how well the markets serve the needs of users, the effect on the markets of the legislation which governs them, the impact of product diversification and changing demand, and the scope for a co-ordinated strategy for future management of the markets.
Key recommendations made in the review were:
-
That London's markets should consolidate onto three composite sites for fresh meat, fish, fruit and vegetables based at the sites of New Covent Garden, Spitalfields and Western International.
-
That farmers work with wholesalers to develop a better understanding of the changes taking place in wholesale markets and emerging opportunities.
-
That legislation, much of which now restrains trade, should be removed to allow for a more competitive and effective supply chain.
-
That a central planning, management or liaison body for London markets should be avoided if possible.
-
Restrictive legislation should be removed to allow for competition between markets and to establish competitive efficiency.
Following a public consultation which ran from November 2002 to February 2003, a Ministerial statement was published on 20 June 2003.
Page last modified: 10 September 2008
Page published: 14 March 2005