§ Lord Willoughby de Brokeasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will require the Ministry of Defence to buy British chicken, lamb, beef and pigmeat; and, if not, why not. [HL1492]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanThe supply of food to our Armed Forces is contracted out to "3663". The MoD does not specify the source from which our contractor should obtain meat (or any other products) but expects them to seek the best market price, consistent with meeting our quality standards; indeed to do otherwise would contravene European law. I am as keen, however, on seeing our servicemen and women eating British products as I am for our contractor to secure the best value for money. Accordingly, our contractor is required specifically to give full consideration to British products, which we look to them to buy wherever they are competitive. Currently all beef for consumption by our UK-based service personnel is British. In addition, 100 per cent of our pork; some 50 per cent of our bacon and gammon; and 30 per cent of our chicken is being sourced in the UK.