The Tory party has stepped up its calls for clearer food labelling with the launch of a campaign and poll.
The Honest Food campaign demands compulsory ‘country of origin’ to ensure that meat products carrying a British label have come from animals born and bred in Britain.
That’s a change from the current rules which allow imported meat to be labelled as British if it has been processed and packed here in the UK.
A poll commissioned by the Conservatives showed strong public support for clearer country of origin food labelling. A huge majority (89%) supported a “born and bred” qualification for British labelling.
Speaking to the NFU annual conference in Birmingham, shadow DEFRA secretary Nick Herbert, said that the Conservatives would be introducing a Parliamentary Bill requiring meat and meat products labelled as British or carrying the Union flag to be born and bred in Britain.
In a strident message to the government Mr Herbert said: “If you really want to stamp out misleading labelling then get off your hands and support this Bill.”
He also urged the government to show some spine with public procurement of food arguing that it should all be British.
“A voluntary agreement between major food retailers and buyers is inadequate and a compulsory labelling scheme is now essential.
“For a decade DEFRA has promised to ‘clamp down’ on misleading information.
“’Honest Food’ is not about protectionism – consumers should be free to choose food from any country. Clear labelling will empower consumers, not restrict their options,” Mr Herbert said.
“Other EU countries fight for the interests of their consumers and their farming industry within the trading rules. It’s time for the British government to show the same spine.”
Despite only being in the job for three weeks Mr Herbert gave a confident speech and tried to convince delegates that he understood farming better then Hilary Benn.
“I’m a country boy and I feel like I’m coming home,” he said.
“Farming matters and I’m not just paying lip service to that. My grandfather farmed in Sussex and if the Conservatives get into government I could become the first secretary of state for years to have spent the night in a lambing shed,” he added.
The call for country of origin labelling is being endorsed by farming and animal welfare organisations including the NFU and RSPCA, and the Honest Food campaign is endorsed by food celebrities including Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Clarissa Dickson Wright.
Keep up to date with the conference on our special report page.
Watch the campaign video.
Read Julian Gairdner's blog on Herbert's old jokes.