British Meat

British is best so why buy the rest?
It will not go away, in fact do we want it to go away.  Consumers questioning the quality and content of their meat is a good thing surely?

Leading supermarkets having discovered there is horse meat in their value beef burgers, lasagna and other ready meals.

It has caused uproar.  Is the backlash due to improper labeling or is it the fact that it is horse or potentially containing harmful drugs?  Maybe it is simply because it is Tesco's.  I'm not sure all consumers are that concerned in the current economic climate about animal welfare!

Whatever the reason for the outcry I think there is a significant opportunity here for the government to review what meat is imported and consumed in the UK.  It is often said there are more regulations on ingredients that go into dog food than into human food.  Let’s take the opportunity to strip out the cheap and nasty meat and encourage the British public to buy British!

Everyone is pointing a finger towards meat suppliers based outside of the UK in the EU and a recent article on animal welfare in the Herald Scotland by Rog Wood interested me.  Apparently 40% of the EU bacon and pork sold is illegal and the butchers selling it are not aware of this.  This is specifically linked the EU Welfare legislation that came into force on 1^st Jan 2013 making it illegal to keep sows in individual metal cages.   

I would add that UK farmers have apparently been compliant since 2009 (legislation introduced by a former government).

So welfare issues, meat content and harmful substances are the issues.  What if the UK taxed imported meats?  Bring them into line with the prices our local UK farmers and smallholders can compete with, who ultimately comply with legislation but are priced out.  I guess you could call it a meat import tax - Ultimately creating a minimum price per kilo but for imports only. 

Rog Wood suggests consumers pay lip service to welfare of animals.  Not all of us but ultimately vast majority of the UK population will shop with price in mind rather than the welfare of the animal.  A £3 chicken vs a £6.50 chicken on the supermarket shelf is for some a step up in price too far.

Unless we remove the supply of the cheap meat, it will still be consumed and ultimately produced.  The meat tax could go some way to achieving this, in conjunction with other legislation and grant funding to give UK farms and even smallholders a fair chance of supplying the quality local meat.

This is perhaps controversial, but I feel we should be doing more to support our local farmers and smallholders.

There are however implications such as our relationship with countries to whom we export meat, would they impose similar a tax?

I do appreciate incomes are being hit at present with the economy being in such dire state, but what is preventing families cutting the consumption of meat on a weekly basis to afford the slightly more expensive product.  Especially as there appears to be issues with health, one less meat meal could assist in cutting the nations waist line, but the monetary saving could be used to purchase quality humanely reared meat.  

I believe it is worth discussing the principal.  It gives the local farmers in the UK the opportunity to supply the meat and to achieve a fair price for animals kept is humane conditions.  It would help us become less reliant on imports and therefore consume less illegal meat, but ultimately mean that the UK could be leading the way and standing up for the farm animal such as the pig to ensure its life is a pleasant as it can be for the short period it is around.

Perhaps it is worth discussing regulation of the large supermarkets who ultimately drive the price down and then the quality and welfare of the animals?

Rog Wood's article 

www.heraldscotland.com/business/farming/buy-british-to-pay-the-price-for-better-animal-welfare.19889882

Thanks for reading