Australian retailer Woolworths has made another move that has angered vegetable growers, withdrawing from an agreement to allow an Asian buyer mission to visit a distribution center in Sydney.

Vegetable and potato grower body Ausveg said the international buyers came from "crucial" overseas markets and were supposed to visit a Woolworths facility next week as part of an initiative to foster export growth.

The decision comes in the wake of public outcry after it was revealed the supermarket chain was charging growers AUD$0.40 (US$0.38) per crate to fund a Jamie Oliver promotion campaign.

"This churlish action by Woolworths is not in the national interest given that both industry and the Australian Government have identified expanding export markets as a crucial priority for the future growth of our industry," Ausveg CEO Richard Mulcahy said in a release.

"My staff received a call from a Government Relations executive at Woolworths this morning informing us the relevant people are ‘no longer available’ for the visit to the distribution centre next week.

"Woolworths are certainly not winning friends in the Australian vegetable industry, nor with customers by taking such a belligerent attitude on matters of such critical importance to our nation."

He described the pull-out as a " retrograde step" and a blow to Australian vegetable growers who "have already been asked to wear costs associated with Woolworth’s Jamie Oliver campaign".

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