Buy British is meat message

Mar 21 2008 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A POLITICIAN has urged shoppers to buy British pork.

Calder Valley MP Chris McCafferty met Brian Major, a representative of pig farmers in her constituency.

She said: “I was shocked to learn that the number of sows in Britain has halved in the last 10 years from 800,000 to 400,000.

“Grain prices have almost doubled in the last six months meaning farmers are now losing more than £20 on every animal raised.”

Ms McCafferty encouraged people to buy British pork.

She said: “We are rightly concerned about animal welfare issues in this country, but our higher standards mean that other countries are able to produce cheaper pork products, undercutting British farmers.

“I believe that as consumers we should be prepared to pay a little extra at the butchers and supermarkets for our British pork.”