§ Mr. FabricantTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has requested meat-purchasing Government agencies to buy British pigmeat or only pigmeat produced to standards of animal welfare equivalent to those of the United Kingdom. [108733]
§ Ms QuinIn respect of pigmeat, we have sought to persuade public authorities that buying to British welfare and other standards (eg meat and bonemeal-free feed regimes) offers good value and meets the needs of their "customers". To back up this message, my right hon. Friend the Minister has written to a number of Government Departments and to local councils and health authorities in England to emphasise the importance of sourcing to British standards.
Responses received so far (over 100) indicate that those public authorities who do not currently source to British standards are looking to change the specifications in their tendering procedures.