Changes to food labelling to encourage buying British
The Government said it wants to give people more choice and support UK farmers.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Consumers may soon see a change in food labelling that would say when imported goods do not meet UK welfare standards, with the Government discussing with retailers a “buy British button” on supermarket websites.
Environment Secretary Steve Barclay will announce plans at the Oxford Farming Conference on Thursday, which also include consistent labelling for food that is produced to the highest standards.
He wants to give more information to shoppers at the point of purchase, with the plans including a consultation on proposals to make food labelling clearer, such as highlighting when imported products do not meet UK welfare standards.
Mr Barclay will also speak with major online retailers about ways of helping customers to understand where their food comes from, including the option of a “buy British button” on websites.
The newly-appointed Cabinet minister will also announce significant changes to the UK’s farming support schemes, in the biggest shake-up since leaving the EU.
British farmers take pride in producing food that meets, and often exceeds, our world-leading animal welfare and environmental standards
Mr Barclay will say: “British farmers take pride in producing food that meets, and often exceeds, our world-leading animal welfare and environmental standards.
“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.
“This is why I am proud to announce that we will consult on clearer food labelling so we can tackle the unfairness created by misleading labelling and protect farmers and consumers.”
Changes to the support schemes include paying farmers to maintain and upgrade footpaths, cycle paths and bridleways on their land.
They will continue to receive support for items such as maps, way markers and fencing to mark out access, the Government said.
Both the Conservatives and Labour have ruled out introducing a Scottish style right-to-roam law, saying they want to encourage “responsible access” instead.
The Government said it wants more people to be able to explore the countryside and access green space, to improve people’s mental and physical wellbeing, but said this must be done on permitted routes only.
Ministers are also looking to encourage more young people to learn about farming, forestry, food production and wildlife and are expanding the Educational Access scheme.
Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “Reforms to enable consumers to reward farmers who stick to high animal welfare standards make sense for everyone.
“With over 200 million farmed animals in the UK, this policy is a win for farmers and for the public.
“By labelling animal food products to present information about the welfare of the animals involved, consumers can reward high welfare farmers.
“After a two-year delay to the progression of these popular and cost-effective changes, we now need to see swift progress to allow consumer choice to drive widespread improvements in the welfare of farmed animals.”