Asked by: Huw Merriman (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) improve the transparency of country of origin food labelling for online retailers and (b) help ensure that country of origin labelling is equally transparent in both online and in-store retailers.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Food Information to Consumers Regulations require many foods to declare the origin on the label. This includes where the consumer would be misled if it were not given, and always for specific foods such as beef, veal, lamb, mutton, pork, goat, poultry, fish, shellfish, honey, olive oil, wine and most fruit and vegetables. Additionally, there are rules that help prevent the consumer from being misled about the origin of the primary ingredient of the food, although the majority of meat and dairy products sold at retail voluntarily provide the origin of the meat or dairy ingredients.
Regulations ensure that where pre-packed foods are sold at distance or online, all mandatory particulars including country of origin should be available before the point of purchase and at the point of delivery. The Government is committed to optimising the information that is available to consumers, including country of origin, so that they can make informed choices in both online and in-store environments.
Asked by: Huw Merriman (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure the viability of equine rescue organisations whose income has been affected by the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The welfare of companion animals remains a priority for Defra throughout the coronavirus pandemic. My Department continues to work closely with the companion animal welfare sector to understand their concerns and address how organisations that work with horses and other companion animals are affected by Covid-19.
We provide and regularly update online Government guidance for people who are responsible for horses and other animals to reflect the changing position relating to Covid-19 and to help them understand how to provide for their equine welfare. This includes clarifying what activities may be undertaken in light of restrictions in place to tackle Covid-19, such as rescue and rehoming, and also advising what people should do if they show symptoms of Covid-19, or are self-isolating, or are unable themselves to care for their horses.
We continue to hold discussions with key equine welfare organisations and want the sector to be able to continue to carry out its good work. The Government has announced various measures to support charities, including VAT deferral, paying no business rates for their shops next year and furloughing staff where possible with the Government paying a significant contribution of their wages.