Think North East First urges us to buy local products and services
Feb 19 2009 by Sam Wood, The Journal
SHOPPERS should be given the chance to buy North East labelled produce, a farming leader said last night. The Journal has launched a campaign urging people and businesses to buy local to help the region through the recession.
And North East farmers last night called for local produce to be labelled so customers could back the region’s farmers at the supermarket.
Gordon Meek, National Farmers Union (NFU) livestock representative for the North East, said consumers should be able to support the region by buying meat they know has been ‘born and bred’ here.
He said: “It might be quite complicated legally but I think it would be of great benefit.
“If food made by producers in the region can be labelled it would help consumers who want to buy from the North East.
“Smaller producers and retailers especially could be able to mark their produce up with a North East logo or something.”
The call came just days after a campaign was launched for honest food labelling.
Current rules mean meat from animals reared abroad can be brought to the UK for processing and then be packaged as British.
Shadow environment secretary Nick Herbert told the NFU conference in Birmingham a voluntary code between major food retailers was not working and legislation was needed “to restore trust and allow people to choose British food with confidence“.
Mr Meek, a livestock farmer in Ponteland, said: “A change of rules can only benefit consumers and farmers both in this region and nationally.
“I’m in total support of better food labeling and I think the problem may be more widespread than we realise. Many consumers want to buy British and when they do they should know if it has been raised here, not just packaged here.
“We are not against food being imported, but people who want to support British or regional farming should be able to in full confidence that what they are getting is British.”
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