"Accurate labelling is a must to give consumers a real choice on animal welfare" - Farron

3.00.00pm GMT Wed 5th Mar 2008

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP and Lib Dem Countryside spokesman Tim Farron has spoken of the need for a standardised labelling system for British poultry and other meat so that increasingly discerning consumers can be sure of the origin of the meat that they are purchasing.

During a Westminster Hall debate on free range produce Mr Farron also stressed that indoor-bred birds are often reared as humanely as outdoor-bred birds, and urged the Government to overturn the decision to abolish the agricultural buildings tax relief which has discouraged some farmers from upgrading farm buildings.

Tim Farron said:

"Many shoppers will trust British produce simply because it is British, because they know that animal welfare standards here are the highest in the world.

"The outrage in this is that meat products from other countries with worse welfare standards only have to be moderately transformed or processed in order to qualify to be misleadingly labelled as British produce."