Mr Broad had 120 lambs to sell and his agent suggested Coles were paying a good price – but was allegedly denied after he approached the supermarket chain for the sale. 

In 2014 Mr Broad commented on Coles’ “down, down” project and said “it stripped millions of dollars out of the dairy industry and cheapened food in the eyes of consumers”.

Mr Broad believes those comments are being used against him. 

“I do believe the supermarket chain neglected to buy my lambs because of my political stance on their ‘down, down’ campaign,” he said. 

“Driving consumer prices down like that only strips our local farmers and our local industries of hard earned money – money that they deserve back in their pocket.”

In a statement a Coles spokesperson said: "Coles absolutely stands by the professionalism of our meat buyers. Our purchases are based on commercial decisions. Coles relies on a strong base of outstanding lamb producers across Australia, most of whom are long-standing suppliers. Mr Broad can be assured that his standing as a Member of Parliament is irrelevant to our commercial decision-making."