Tom Biggins - Tom Biggins - Parliamentary Candidate

7th September, 2010

Standing up for honest food labelling and small retailers in Telford

Wednesday March 10, 2010

“People have a right to know where their food comes from,” says Tom Biggins, Parliamentary Candidate for Telford. “Meat labelled ‘British’ should be born and bred in Britain, and raised to our high welfare standards. It should not suggest it is British when it is not. I think this is dishonest.”

Adding his voice to the Conservative campaign for honest food labelling, and his own fight to support small retailers in the town, Tom Biggins was delighted to welcome Nick Herbert, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to Telford this week (Monday, 8^th March).

His first port of call was Telford’s prize winning independent butchers, Parkinson’s Butchers, based at Wrockwardine Wood, and run by Tom Pagan.

“Telford butcher, John Pagan, goes out of his way to source all of his fresh meat from Britain. More than that, he sources all of his fresh meat from producers within Shropshire,” said Tom.

“John definitely knows his meat. He knows exactly where it has come from, and makes sure it is stored, matured and butchered properly. He is recognised locally for both superb product quality, as well as his personal service.

“This contrasts sharply with meat sold from a lot of the supermarkets, where you won’t have a clue where the meat comes from. It won’t reach the same exacting quality standards in the way that it is produced, and probably won’t taste half as good. On top of this, without the help of experienced butchers like John and his staff, you will be left wondering how best to store it and to cook it.”

Nick Herbert said: “Labour’s short-sighted policy is that it doesn’t matter where our food comes from. As a result, we’ve seen food imports rise, and our own production fall. They’ve passed laws to improve farm animal welfare in this country, and then watched as our own producers go out of business, while we import food produced to lower welfare standards and passed off as British.

“This is wrong, and that’s why, early last year, we launched the ‘Honest Food Campaign’ demanding honest ‘country of origin’ labelling to help restore trust and allow people to choose British food with confidence.

“The Honest Food Campaign identified countless misleading supermarket labels – for instance, chicken dinners which said they were ‘produced in the UK’, when the meat came from Thailand – and has successfully achieved in opposition what Labour failed to achieve in a decade of government.”

Support for small businesses and small retailers

Highlighting the plight of small retailers and small businesses in the town, particularly the ongoing threats from large shopping centres and supermarkets, Tom Biggins has called for far less regulation and taxation to help them compete.

“We really must stand up for small retailers and small businesses, like Parkinson’s. We have seen too many close down in the last decade and we are still seeing an estimated 2,000 shops close every year. And, yet small businesses collectively create the most jobs. They are important to the economy, both locally and nationally.”

In a bid to make Britain more friendly to small businesses and retailers, a Conservative government would make Small Business Rate Relief automatic. That means scrapping the forms and bureaucracy of handling thousands of claims. It also means providing the help straight away, cutting the fixed overheads of small businesses each and every year.

“Taken alongside Conservative plans to cut small company corporation tax rates and reduce the payroll taxes of the smallest employers, this measure is another sign that, as a party, Conservatives are on the side of enterprise,” said Tom.

- ends -

Notes to Editor:

1. Honest Food Labelling Campaign

Meat from abroad can be imported into Britain to be processed into bacon, sausages and pies which can then be labelled to suggest they are British. The Conservatives are demanding honest ‘country of origin’ labelling to restore trust and allow people to choose British food with confidence. Further information from www.conservatives.com.

2. Small Shops Campaign

Small shops are at the heart of our high streets and town centres. They offer diversity and choice, and provide a really personal service to their community. For further information about the Conservative’s ‘Support Our Small Shops’ Campaign, go to http://www.conservatives.com/Campaigns/Support_Our_Small_Shops.aspx

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TOM'S PLEDGES

Vote For Change

The General Election has been called and Tom Biggins has set out his pledges for the Telford constituency. Should he be elected as Telford's MP, this is the work he will be concentrating on:

KEY POLICIES

These are just some of the steps a Conservative Government will take to get our country back on track:

Enable a two-year freeze on Council Tax
More funding for the NHS and to continue the fight to save services at the PRH
Restoring the link between the state pension and earnings
Keeping free bus passes, free TV licences and the winter fuel allowance
Radical reform of the immigration system with an annual limit imposed
‘Never’ to Britain joining the Euro
We would restore teachers’ authority in the classroom
400,000 apprenticeships, college and training places to boost job numbers
Laws strictly enforced to tackle drug and alcohol abuse
Police power to use instant sanctions to deal with anti-social behaviour
An extra 4,200 health visitors to support new parents across the country

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Vote Biggins - a record of action

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Conservative policies

Want to know what the Conservative policy is on your issue? Click here to search for the issues that matter most to you. For a copy of the manifesto published on 13th April 2010 click here.

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Contact Tom

Write to: Tom Biggins, Broadway House, 2 Haygate Road, Wellington, Telford, TF1 1SG

Telephone: 01952 253473

Email: tom@tombiggins4telford.com

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