The Dutch Meat Board has hit out at claims by the British Pig Executive that much imported pigmeat claiming to meet UK specifications in fact falls short (The Grocer, August 2, p51).
BPEX sounded an alert to accuracy about origins and the use of the British Meat Quality Standard mark on labels.
The Dutch Meat Board said this week that BPEX had implied European pigmeat producers were playing a part in these inaccuracies.
Managing director Robert Smith said: “The Dutch sector has consistently supported demands for clear labelling. Many Dutch producers have similar concerns.
“To suggest the ‘inflated’ UK spec claims are made by Dutch producers is at best misleading and is also mis-directed.
“The Dutch sector continues to supply quality assured pigmeat and bacon to the UK market, but at no stage has it suggested that 100% of this is ‘produced to UK welfare specifications’.”
Dutch producers supplied product according to market and customer requirements and those that specified ‘welfare’ product were supplied accordingly, said Smith.
Dutch producers supplying welfare product continued to be audited by UK processors and retailers against these requirements and to date these had all been successful, he said. “Importantly, and contrary to what some may want us to believe, not everyone demands ‘UK spec’ product.”
John Howard, marketing director of the Danish Meat and Bacon Council, said: “We are at one with the British industry on the issue of misleading labelling, and are vehement in our condemnation of it. And, yes, imports have gone up because the availability of British pigs has gone down.
“As for equivalence to UK standards, the Danish industry launched a special contract in 1997 to meet UK retailers’ demands, particularly relating to the stall and tether ban.
“A significant amount of product comes from that but not all of it and we have never pretended otherwise. Product that is not produced to the UK Contract is underwritten by our Danish Quality Guarantee.”
Half of Danish pig producers now no longer use stall or tether systems for pregnant sows, banned by the EU from 2013. The Dutch introduced enhanced unilateral animal welfare legislation in 1998.
Kit Davies
BPEX sounded an alert to accuracy about origins and the use of the British Meat Quality Standard mark on labels.
The Dutch Meat Board said this week that BPEX had implied European pigmeat producers were playing a part in these inaccuracies.
Managing director Robert Smith said: “The Dutch sector has consistently supported demands for clear labelling. Many Dutch producers have similar concerns.
“To suggest the ‘inflated’ UK spec claims are made by Dutch producers is at best misleading and is also mis-directed.
“The Dutch sector continues to supply quality assured pigmeat and bacon to the UK market, but at no stage has it suggested that 100% of this is ‘produced to UK welfare specifications’.”
Dutch producers supplied product according to market and customer requirements and those that specified ‘welfare’ product were supplied accordingly, said Smith.
Dutch producers supplying welfare product continued to be audited by UK processors and retailers against these requirements and to date these had all been successful, he said. “Importantly, and contrary to what some may want us to believe, not everyone demands ‘UK spec’ product.”
John Howard, marketing director of the Danish Meat and Bacon Council, said: “We are at one with the British industry on the issue of misleading labelling, and are vehement in our condemnation of it. And, yes, imports have gone up because the availability of British pigs has gone down.
“As for equivalence to UK standards, the Danish industry launched a special contract in 1997 to meet UK retailers’ demands, particularly relating to the stall and tether ban.
“A significant amount of product comes from that but not all of it and we have never pretended otherwise. Product that is not produced to the UK Contract is underwritten by our Danish Quality Guarantee.”
Half of Danish pig producers now no longer use stall or tether systems for pregnant sows, banned by the EU from 2013. The Dutch introduced enhanced unilateral animal welfare legislation in 1998.
Kit Davies
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