United Kigdom-Pork labelling.

UNITED KINGDOM-PRAISE FROM FARMERS.

Farmers hail labels probe;

It Has been a painful thorn in the side of East Yorkshire pig farmers for more than a decade.

A loophole in the law allows imported pork and bacon to be sold as British if it is further processed or repackaged in this country.

East Yorkshire farmers have been fighting the move, claiming it disadvantages them when competing with poorer quality foreign meat.

Now the worrying issue of clearer meat labelling is the first thing to be tackled by the new Government-led Pig Meat Supply Chain Task Force.

The group aims to achieve a sustainable future for the pig industry, which has been suffering from low prices, high costs and unfair competition from abroad.

Campaigning pig farmer Fred Henley, of Green Farm, Seaton Ross, near Pocklington, said the initiative was long overdue.

He said: "I’m delighted the task force is investigating labelling because it is something that has rankled with us for more than 10 years.

"It is crazy because foreign products that have been made from pig meat not reared to such high welfare standards as ours are being passed off as British.

"We have been banging our heads against a brick wall for years, but hopefully something will be done about an issue that has contributed to so many pig farmers leaving the industry."

Mr Henley is involved with Porkwatch, whose members regularly check the labels of pork and bacon products in supermarkets.

He said: "Our campaigns have led to improved labelling of fresh pork by some supermarkets, but bacon and ham is still a grey area and people should check the small print on packaging.

"We are urging shoppers to buy products showing the British Quality Standard Mark which is backed by the union flag."

The task force is made up of pig farmers, retailers, politicians and consumers.