Proposals to implement a new food labelling scheme to empower consumers to support British farmers and improve animal welfare standards have been welcomed by Island MP Bob Seely.
The Government has launched a new Call for Evidence giving the public the opportunity to shape the potential new system, so it is simple, cost-effective for businesses and supports the environment.
All evidence will be used to inform any future policy proposals on labelling for animal welfare and will also feed into a wider review of food labelling to inform the UK Government’s Food Strategy White Paper.
Environment Secretary George Eustice said:
“British farmers produce food to an exceptionally high standard of animal welfare, and consumers have come to expect nothing less.
“Now that we have left the EU, we have an opportunity to look at food labelling – and whether the information that we give to shoppers helps them make informed choices.
“This call for evidence is a first step in ensuring that we fully meet consumers’ needs and fly the flag for the high standards for which our farmers are renowned.”
Mr Seely said:
“I am pleased to see the Government supporting British farmers and giving greater consideration to animal welfare standards.
“I welcome moves to provide consumers with more information about where their food has come from and allow people to make more informed choices about the food they eat.
“I encourage Isle of Wight farmers, and others with an interest in this industry, to respond to the Government’s call for evidence.
“I will always support schemes that encourage people to buy local and buy British.”
The labelling for animal welfare Call for Evidence will be open for 12 weeks.
“empower consumers to support British farmers” – ha ha, good one Bob. Your party’s Brexit has done more to stuff British farmers than a few labels can undo.
Come the day, be it ever so far in the future (what was it Farage promised?-“We could do a deal with America in 48 hours”), then I doubt very much whether the USA would agree to have meat identified as coming from them so as to avoid any discrimination against them and their notoriously poor production and welfare standards, which rather scuppers any idea of ‘informed choice’. The public will give their views, and then the USA will tell us what we will do.
One more of Mr Seely’s lies. EU doesn’t prevent a country from any additional food labelling. Germany i.e. has different food labels on its own, letting customers tracing the food back to the farm, giving a rating of their animal welfare standard and so on. What UK lost is the EU label which allows customers to find out the real producer of any meat containing produce even if it is own-branded by the supermarket chain. What UK also lost is the peace of mind that a bottle/carton contains exactly the amount that is printed on it. I.e. the Isle of Wight Milk contains less than the labelled 2litres.
Good idea, perhaps Bob will endorse a certain brand of sausages, “Bobs Bangers”
Remember BSE?? Highest standars in the world!, another grandstanding by an incompetent minister of an incompetent geovernment.
This is the new government strategy: get Joe Public to specify a procedure then when it all goes pear-shaped, guess who will get the blame? We had a perfectly good labelling system within the EU which we were free to augment (or, in the case of Red Tractor, confuse), but no, we have to have something different.
This government is abdicating its responsibilities big time and is not fit for purpose. Seldom demonstrates it every time he opens his mouth.