Meat from nations with lower welfare may need warning label
Meat, dairy and eggs imported from countries with more lenient animal welfare rules than Britain’s could have to carry labels warning shoppers about the poorer standards.
A consultation on the issue is planned.
Sow stalls, considered “cruel cages” by campaigners, are allowed in the first few weeks of pig pregnancies in European Union states and their meat can be imported to the UK, although the stalls are banned in this country.
Steve Barclay, the environment secretary, said: “British consumers want to buy this top-quality food, but too often products produced to lower standards overseas aren’t clearly labelled to differentiate them.”
Under the government plans, ministers are talking to online supermarkets about including “Buy British” buttons or filters for food, to support UK farmers. At
