Defra’s new welfare labelling plans could add costs and confuse consumer – NPA PIG says
Producer and allied industry members of the NPA’s Pig Industry Group (PIG) have pointed out the flaws in Defra’s plans to introduce mandatory animal welfare labelling in the UK.
The Department is expected to issue a formal consultation on the proposals at some point in the spring, following discussions with animal welfare campaigners and the farming industry.
The proposals currently focus on pork, poultry meat and eggs. Defra’s plan is to inform consumers of the system of production on fresh cut and ‘minimally processed’ products with mandatory labels, such as ham and bacon.
The Department is looking at a five tier system, but it doesn’t correlate to the UK’s existing pork provenance code, which includes include free range, outdoor bred and outdoor reared categories.
It believes the policy, which has been strongly pushed by animal welfare NGOs, would give consumers a clearer indication of how pork and other products are produced and that it could help drive improvements in welfare standards. It said its proposals ‘seek to simplify and clarify existing welfare labels’.
By Alistair Driver | Pig World
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