“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, 8th 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.
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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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