Friends of the Earth has reacted to the announcement made by Environmental Secretary Hilary Benn, that leading supermarkets have signed up to a voluntary code of practice setting how foreign meat should be labelled in the UK.
Friends of the Earth’s senior food campaigner Vicki Hird said: “Shoppers need to feel confident that a British label means they’re really buying British, but a voluntary scheme that meat producers, caterers and retailers can opt out of isn’t enough – it must be compulsory for everyone.
“However, labelling meat as British fails to address the damaging impact of imported animal feeds – UK factory farms are driving environmental destruction in South America because rainforests are being cleared to grow soy.
“The Government must support planet-friendly British farming by helping farmers to grow animal feed here in the UK, and provide shoppers with meat that’s UK born, bred and fed.”
