NFU Scotland calls for improvement in supermarket provenance
NFU Scotland has called on supermarkets to source more pork from the UK after alleging that less than half the pork on sale in Tesco and Asda was British or Scottish.
The organisation has contacted all major supermarkets regarding their support for Scottish and British pig farmers after finding that some retailers have a very high proportion of non-British pork on their shelves.
It added that while various supermarkets are 100% committed to Scottish or British pork or have a strong presence of home-produced products, others are falling well short of what farmers and consumers would expect.
Speaking at the NFU conference, then NFU Scotland president, Andrew McCornick, commented: “Some retailers are to be applauded for their strong commitment to sourcing British and Scottish pork, but others must step up to the plate in these challenging times.
“In the case of the Co-op, all fresh pork, as well as bacon and sausages are sourced from the UK, while Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Lidl and Aldi are also coming across as very strong supporters of domestic production.”
“For some major players, far greater support for Scottish and British pig farmers must be given and we will work with all retailers and other interested parties to see how domestic sourcing can be improved.”
McCornick, who has since been replaced as NFUS president by Martin Kennedy, alleged that: “In stark contrast, the display of pork in the Tesco and Asda stores that were examined was poor. Less than half of the fresh pork on sale was British or Scottish and that is a shocking statistic. Both these stores have a strong public commitment to source other meats from the UK. They must show the same commitment to pork.”
He added: “NFU Scotland has contacted all major retailers on the matter. For some major players, far greater support for Scottish and British pig farmers must be given and we will work with all retailers and other interested parties to see how domestic sourcing can be improved.
“NFU Scotland will continue to monitor the volumes of Scottish and British pork on shop shelves. We will be in-touch with UK processors in the next two weeks to see if orders from supermarkets have improved and we will be looking for a significant improvement in availability of home supplies, particularly in Tesco and Asda stores, in the next four weeks when we conduct our next shelfwatch.
“The justification for major retailers to back our farmers goes far deeper than the shop shelf. With climate change remaining at the top of the agenda for the foreseeable future, sourcing local sustainable products such as Scottish or British pork will play a valuable part of the solution. That is something consumers want to see, and supermarkets must deliver.”
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