Waitrose has bashed ministers for shelving plans to make animal welfare labels mandatory, warning that the UK risks a “race to the bottom” on standards.
Writing in The Telegraph, executive director of Waitrose James Bailey described it as “huge disappointment” that the government had abandoned a planned formal consultation on introducing new animal welfare labels for meat production.
He said this meant the scheme would “not make it onto the statute book any time soon”, and warned that without it UK farmers risk being denied battery-cage chickens imported from Asia Pacific.
He added: “Consumers deserve to know where the meat on their dinner table comes from and how it lives.”
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Bailey warned on Friday that the Government’s decision to ditch mandatory welfare labelling meant the UK was squandering an opportunity to protect its farmers.
Adding that it would be important to add a clear animal welfare label before ministers strike more trade deals with countries where standards are not as high.
Bailey said: “The UK has avoided chlorinated chicken because the US trade deal never happened, but without the right protections we could see battery farmed chickens from the Asia Pacific region decimating UK agriculture.”
The UK has one of the highest animal welfare standards in the world, with 95 per cent of its chickens having an assured “Red Tractor” status. This means that its farms are subject to rigorous checks on the health and welfare of the birds.
Bailey’s criticism is the latest attack on the government from retail chiefs over ministerial decision-making.
Last week, Marks & Spencer boss Stuart Machin accused the government of “making one haphazard decision after another without any clarity or clear direction”.
His comments came after Michael Gove blocked a multimillion pound regeneration plan for a retailer in Oxford Street, despite support from Westminster Council and surrounding retailers.
In response, Machin said Gove’s decision was “laughable” and “utterly pathetic”, adding that the ruling meant that he must now review its future on London’s Oxford Street, considered the prime retail location in the country.
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