It is recommending that such an ombudsman oversees an improved Supermarket Code of Practice in its submission to the Competition Commission's (CC) inquiry into the groceries market.

The NFU has sent a seven-page report in response to the CC's provisional findings, which were published in October.

An NFU spokesman said:

"Essentially what we need to see is a properly functioning food chain, where fairness, transparency and sustainability are respected and where value added is rewarded.

"Only then will consumers' expectations of safety, quality, choice and value for money be truly met, and the future of the UK supply chain be secured."