Call to check quality of imported pork

Pig industry leader and North Yorkshire producer Stewart Houston warned consumers to carefully check that pork products they buy have met British quality standards.

He is concerned that misleading labelling is allowing increased amounts of pork, produced under conditions outlawed in this country, to be sold to UK consumers.

In a television interview for the ITN lunch-time news this week, Mr Houston said consumers needed to look closely at labels to ensure pork and pork products had been produced to British quality standards.

A report from the British Pig Executive said there had been a further 29pc increase in pig meat imports in the first four months of this year - on top of a 40pc rise in imports since 1998.

"The figures for the amount of pig meat coming in and the capacity in Europe to produce meat to standards approved in Britain simply don't add up," said Mr Houston, who farms near Bedale and is executive director of the National Pig Association.

The UK made the landmark ruling to ban the use of stalls and tethers in pork rearing on January 1, 1999, ahead of other member states.

Mr Houston said: "We would urge consumers concerned about the way in which their pork, bacon and ham has been reared to look for the British Quality Standard Mark and the Little Red Tractor logo every time."

Mr Houston said that the NPA was also investigating the use of "English sounding" brand names to sell pork products from overseas.

"We are going to take samples of labels to the Food Standards Agency to get their opinion before we go back and attack this particular problem at its source," he said.

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