A new consultation has been launched today which seeks views on meat regulations in Britain.
The Government is proposing that England retains national legislation to uphold the quality of meat products in this country when new EU food laws come into effect in December 2014.
Currently English rules state burgers, sausages and meat pies, as well as corned meat, chopped meat and pasties, must contain minimum meat amounts if they are made and sold in England.
They also ensure feet, lungs, and other types of offal are not included in any uncooked English meat product. These regulations, and their equivalents in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, are unique to the UK.
A Defra spokesperson said: “The British meat industry has one of the best reputations in the world for the quality of its products. We want to ensure these standards continue to be upheld when new EU food laws come into effect next winter.”
Stephen Rossides, chief executive of the BMPA added: “The UK has some specific national provisions that ensure the quality and integrity of meat products in this country. The BMPA is very keen to retain these, and we urge individual companies to participate in this consultation exercise.”
The consultation can be viewed by clicking here.
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.