Thank you for contacting me about labelling reforms for animal welfare.
I want to make it easier for the consumer to purchase food that aligns with their values, by improving transparency and providing the industry with a level playing field to promote such products. I understand that the majority of consumers value high standards of animal welfare but that this is not always fully reflected in what they purchase.
All food and drink sold on the UK market must comply with food labelling rules, with the fundamental principle being that information provided to the consumer must not mislead and must enable the safe use of food.
I understand that country of origin information is required for fresh and frozen meat of beef cattle, sheep, goat, pigs and poultry, as well as uncut fresh fruit and vegetables, honey, olive oil, wine and some fish products. However, country of origin does not provide information on how an animal has been treated or what the environmental standards were in the country it was raised. This means there are imported products in our shops that do not meet UK welfare standards and do not have labels to reflect this. This lack of transparency can undercut British farmers and lead to consumers unknowingly purchasing products they deem unethical.
A consultation on fairer food labelling was undertaken by the previous Government between March and May 2024. This sought views on proposals to improve and extend current mandatory method of production labelling. I understand that the new Government is now considering the responses and I will follow any developments closely.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
