Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Food Welfare Labelling

Thursday 4 June 2026 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 3 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Sam Rushworth from Bishop Auckland asked the Minister to meet with the Labour Rural Research Group to discuss issues with food labelling and adherence to UK welfare standards.
  • Sam Rushworth also mentioned that the issue of improper food labelling is a concern for MPs across parties.
  • Andrew George from St Ives echoed concerns about importing products that do not meet UK animal welfare standards and suggested meeting with a cross-party group of MPs.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Sam Rushworth Lab Bishop Auckland
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

Concerns about the transparency and honesty in food welfare labelling, particularly regarding the use of Union flags and misleading farm names on products not originating from the UK.

Question

I like to buy British because I know that our farmers have some of the best quality and welfare standards in the world, but this is difficult when everything is labelled with Union flags and fake farm names. Can I invite the Minister to meet with members of the Labour Rural Research Group to discuss honest food labelling?

Answer from Angela Eagle

I am happy to meet the rural research group to talk about these important issues, but under UK food labelling rules, food that is not of UK origin cannot be labelled with a British flag and if the primary ingredient is not British, it cannot be labelled as such without pointing out that the primary ingredient is not British.

Answered
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Q2 Sam Rushworth Lab Bishop Auckland
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

Continued concerns about the accuracy and transparency of food labels, especially regarding imports that do not meet UK animal welfare standards.

Question

It is not only Labour Members who are concerned about this issue; I hope the Minister would be prepared to meet a cross-party group of MPs. The problem is not just the use of the Union Jack but also the risk of importing products that do not adhere to our high animal welfare standards.

Answer from Angela Eagle

I am more than happy to meet the hon. Gentleman or any cross-party group of MPs to talk about this important issue.

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Q3 Andrew George Lib Dem St Ives
Brexit Business & Trade Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

Concerns about misleading labels, especially regarding the risk of importing products that do not meet UK animal welfare standards.

Question

It is not only Labour Members who are concerned about this issue. The problem we face in this country is not just the use of the Union Jack but also a high risk that we are importing products that do not meet our animal welfare standards, which even now we are rightly seeking to improve.

Answer from Angela Eagle

I am more than happy to meet the hon. Gentleman or any cross-party group of MPs to talk about this important issue. I point out that in recent trade deals, we have protected both the poultry egg and poultry meat sectors from approaches similar to what was seen with Australia under previous government.

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