Sanders –Local Authorities should consider animal welfare when procuring food and meals

MP for Torbay Adrian Sanders has today joined calls for local authorities to help deliver high standards of farm animal welfare when procuring food and meals.

 

Along with a cross party group of MPs Adrian has also stated that it would be inappropriate for the public sector to purchase battery eggs, given that battery eggs will be illegal throughout the European Union by 2012.

 

Despite the Government’s introduction of the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative it is believed that most poultry meat, eggs and pig meat procured by the public sector is derived from animals that have been reared industrially.

 

Adrian commented:

 

"Local authorities are responsible for the purchasing of vast quantities of meat and dairy products, if we could get an agreement from all local authorities to only source products that are free range or of high indoor rearing standards it would send out a strong message to industry that battery farming is not acceptable".