Supermarket chain Asda has agreed to change misleading labelling on its meat packaging in response to pressure from the NFU. image expired

Late last week the NFU called on Asda to change its labelling of meat marked ‘Hereford Prime Beef Sirloin Steak.’ Although the word ‘Hereford’ is made prominent on the packet, it refers only to the cows’ breed; the Hereford cows are actually Uruguayan. 

 The ‘Hereford Prime Beef Sirloin Steak’ is sourced 6,800 miles away in Uruguay, however, the supermarket is able to brand its product in such a way because the type of cattle used are Herefords, although the animals are reared, slaughtered and cut in South America.

The union threatened to complain to Trading Standards over Asda’s labelling, which it said was misleading. Lee Woodger, Head of the food chain unit, said that, as most consumers would believe that they were putting a British product reared to stringent standards into their trolley, “this is taking away business from British farmers. It is passing something off as looking like it has UK heritage, when in fact it doesn’t.”

He continued, “The beef is being sold alongside meat that was clearly labelled as British and Irish. The use of the word Hereford suggests that it is from Herefordshire. There is also a UK cutting plant number. I think shoppers will assume it is British."

Mr Woodger added that the product exploited flaws in the rules on country of origin information that supermarkets have signed up to. He took the opotunity to criticise farming minister Jim Paice, saying the flawed policy exposed the government’s failure to deliver on promises for stricter laws made while in opposition. He explained, “In theory the label may meet the technical requirements of the law, but that does not mean it is not misleading.”

Although originally from Herefordshire, pedigree hereford cows, which are predominantly used for meat production, exist in over 50 countries worldwide, having been sold on the export market since 1817. The breed was favoured by ranchers in Australia, New Zealand and the USA for its hardiness.