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Agriculture: British Pig Industry

Yes, but labelling is only part of this. We need the totality of the position endorsed. Certainly there is no point in talking about labelling unless you have a clear idea of how supermarkets are going to go about their job. The noble Lord, Lord Livsey, asked about the supermarket ombudsman. This, too, is an important proposal, but anybody who thinks that one can achieve success in that area with a mere snap of governmental or ministerial fingers is misunderstanding the issue. It will take time before we have in place a code that will work for the ombudsman. We need agreement on the principle behind that. The code of practice came into force on 4 February and we have launched a consultation on how to enforce the code of practice under the role of the ombudsman. I accept entirely noble Lords' impatience with regard to this crucial issue, but it should be recognised how much progress is being made. The noble Lord, Lord Palmer, identified the particular dimension of slurry. We welcome the pig industry's engagement on the use of slurry in anaerobic digestion, which has great potential. This was identified by the task force as a very important opportunity for the pig industry, and we are making progress in that area. I am very grateful to the noble Lord for having raised the point. The task force has now finished its work, but the work it began continues, led by the pig industry itself. The sector will benefit, for example, from agreed measures designed to enhance herd health and biosecurity, and from greater collaborative working between the industry and regulators to make it less complex for pig farmers to comply with environmental regulations. We welcome the improved buoyancy of the pig industry, and we must take advantage of these opportunities to press ahead. It means that there are barriers to be overcome. There is no doubt that there are aspects regarding the European position into which we need to put as much effort as we can to ensure that our European partners hit the same standards in their industries as we enjoy in Britain. The important question of procurement was also raised. Noble Lords were kind enough to identify that even the House itself for which we all take responsibility —and there are quite a few noble Lords with discrete responsibilities—is not wholly clear with regard to its procurement policies. There is no doubt at all that we need to draw attention to this. Labelling will be of the greatest assistance in showing just what is being purchased, but there also has to be a will to ensure that what is recognised as identified by the label is a higher standard of product from the British industry. That is why the purchase should be made, even if at times it is not directly price competitive, because of the factors which have rightly been identified. As far as Defra is concerned, lest noble Lords think I am shying away from my own direct responsibilities—and I am on the Refreshment Committee of the House of Lords so I am fairly guilty there as well—95 per cent of the bacon was sourced from domestic producers in the past year. We are certainly making sure that as far as possible we get close to 100 per cent compliance, and I look forward to being able to report on that in due course. We acknowledge the work the industry itself has put into overcoming the challenges it has faced over the past decade. It is the case that a great deal needs to be done, but this debate has helped to identify the areas in which we now need to make progress, and I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Palmer, for having introduced it.