EU farmers 'flouting welfare rules' causing UK counterparts to lose out

"As the United Kingdom imports around 60 percent of its pork — much of it as processed food such as ham and bacon — shoppers will need to be very careful about what they choose from supermarket shelves and when eating out in restaurants"
"As the United Kingdom imports around 60 percent of its pork — much of it as processed food such as ham and bacon — shoppers will need to be very careful about what they choose from supermarket shelves and when eating out in restaurants"

Pork imports from EU countries accused of flouting EU animal welfare rules are causing UK farmers to lose out, MPs have said.

Around 40,000 pigs an hour will be delivered to continental processing plants from farms breaking welfare rules.

The pigs will come from European farms where sows are still confined in individual steel cages known as 'stalls', a practice outlawed by EU animal welfare legislation.

Stalls have not been used in the UK for many years, but figures released by Brussels show six EU countries have not yet complied with the ban.

"It makes a mockery of Europe’s animal welfare legislation," says NPA chairman Richard Longthorp.

"As the United Kingdom imports around 60 percent of its pork — much of it as processed food such as ham and bacon — shoppers will need to be very careful about what they choose from supermarket shelves and when eating out in restaurants."

Chairman of the Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee Neil Parish said the Commission was giving European farmers an unfair advantage.

“Sow stalls are narrow cages. They make life easier for pig farmers, but they are medieval in the eyes of British consumers because the sows spend most of their lives being able to do little more than stand up and lie down,” said NPA's Dr Zoe Davies.

"The response to our campaign for traceable higher-welfare pork for British consumers has been outstanding — far better than we ever envisaged."