NPA chairman, Richard Longthorp, has commended the country’s retailers for sticking to their post-horsegate promise to source more British pork.
Commenting on the second anniversary of the horsegate scandal, he applauded retailers for their continuing commitment to British pork.
Such action, he said, was particularly welcome in the face of intense provocation currently existing in mainland Europe where “Russia’s meat embargo is causing serious market difficulties”.
“Retailers are sticking to the promises they made after horsegate to source more British pork because it is a quality, farm-assured product, with a short, transparent supply chain,” he said.
In particular, he praised the British pork ‘hundred-percenters’ as identified by the industry’s Porkwatch survey – namely Waitrose, M&S, Budgens, the Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, and hard discounters Aldi and Lidl.
He also took the opportunity, however, to urge retailers against being tempted to return to the days of sourcing meat solely on price, and regardless of origin.
That, he concluded, would be the “worst kind of short-termism”.