In advance of a landmark EU vote on food labelling, which will take place this week, the Countryside Alliance has launched a report into meat product labelling. The alliance said in a statement that this was because it believes “British consumers may be being misled by labels on the front of their meat products.”

Alice Barnard, Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance, said, “Our polling shows that not only do the majority of people put a heavy emphasis on buying British, nearly all would support a law that meant a British flag could only appear on meat from animals born, reared and slaughtered in the UK. Current EU legislation allows British consumers to be deceived about where their meat is coming from. The message is clear: the Countryside Alliance, food producers and the British public all want a meat labelling system that is honest, fair and simple. We call on the European Parliament to correct the current shameful situation.”

European Parliament Vote tomorrow

On Wednesday (6th July) the European Parliament will vote on a proposal on the Provision of Food Information to Consumers (PFIC). PFIC regulations will set out rules on labelling for the food and drink industry relating to origin, health and nutrition, and alcohol labelling.

One of these proposals would see country of origin labelling made mandatory for all meat products and a requirement for single country of origin labels to mean the animal was born, reared and slaughtered in that country. Under current guidelines, the country on a label can refer to where the product was processed, rather than where it was raised.

Pig farmers and Countryside Alliance lobbyists complain that “the effect of higher animal welfare and production regulation being imposed without an adequate labelling system” is a problem particular to British pig farming. They claim the declining profitability of pig farming in the UK and falling number of pigs has meant that more pork is being imported, and estimate 70 per cent of imports would fall below the legal standards set for home production.

Report findings

The Countryside Alliance-commissioned poll sought to gauge public opinion on meat labelling. It found 47 per cent of consumers checked country of origin (although this represented only the third most important area on the packet, according to consumers polled).

However, 74 per cent of people said it is important to them that meat products they buy have a British origin. The alliance said 90 per cent of people supported the proposal that a British flag or ‘British’ should only appear on meat products where the animal has been born, reared and slaughtered in Britain.

A Defra spokesperson supported the findings, saying, “We’ve been leading calls in Europe for clearer labelling laws, and the compulsory origin labelling for meat would be a very good start.”

Last week saw pig farmers picket the Tesco annual general meeting, held in Nottingham, in protest against supermarkets and processors, who they said were “grossly underpaying their suppliers,” despite having raised the cost of pig meat at the till.