Agenda item

Motion submitted by Councillor Taylor regarding Meat Labelling.

Councillor Taylor presented his motion concerning labelling meat to promote consumer choice.

Councillor Imafidon seconded the motion and Councillor Meekins opened the motion for debate. Members made comments as follows:

·         Councillor Booth stated that he has no issue with voluntary labelling, and he added that the motion makes no reference at all to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which is the registered body that would really need to be contacted. He questioned why the motion has actually come before Council as the influence that the Council has with regards to the subject matter is minimal and as a councillor he has never been approached with regards to this issue and whilst he appreciates the point made by Councillor Taylor the subject is an unknown issue. Councillor Booth reminded members that he has previously asked to put forward a motion with regards to Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) and he was advised that it was not business to be discussed by the Council and, therefore, was voted down and rejected. He expressed the view that he does not object to the motion put forward by Councillor Taylor and members of Council should now vote on it.

·         Councillor Carney stated that he will support the motion as consumer choice appears to be a very pertinent part of it and whilst it may not be a matter for this Council, what actually does matter is the fact that consumer choice effects everybody present and beyond. He stated that he is very surprised that the non-labelling has not occurred anyway as halal and kosher meat is labelled as such. Councillor Carney added that there are certain food production practices where certain production methods are used and he made reference to the red tractor labelling which is used for certain products. He made the point that discerning consumers will look to see the province of their food products which includes meat, and he feels that the motion is one small step towards achieving a voluntary scheme in the future. Councillor Carney made the point that he is unsure as to how long such a scheme would take to implement but like everything else in consumer society it will come down to cost due to the fact that if retailers are then supposed to label their meat products such as halal, kosher, non halal or non-kosher it maybe something that the retailer then uses as an excuse to increase the price of their products. He expressed the view that cost is not the issue for many people as it comes down to the moral element as to where the food comes from and is it from a trustworthy source.

·         Councillor Tierney stated that the administration at County Council have taken motions to their council meetings which have nothing to do with the business of that council. He made the point that it is just virtue signalling if a motion is made about something that is of no relevance to the council and, therefore, he does have some sympathy with the point made by Councillor Booth. Councillor Tierney expressed the opinion that this motion is slightly different due to the fact that those businesses who deal with labelling of products, do listen to the views of local authorities and the Council will have some effect on what they decide. He explained that whilst he has not considered the accuracy of the motion as he has not studied its content, he does approve of customer choice as the consumer should know what they are buying, what they choose to purchase and that is down to the individual choice. 

·         Councillor Booth asked for it to be noted that he works within a retail distribution centre but has no dealings with any meat processing. He added that the point he was making with regards to the WASPI organisation was that he had been approached by a group of local residents who had been affected by the issue along with several thousand residents in Fenland and he was advised that it was not a matter for the Council to consider.

Councillor Taylor summed up saying that the FSA states that everything should be labelled directly from its origin. He added that he hopes that members will support the motion, and he will be contacting the FSA and Members of Parliament because there is a difference to be made on this subject. Councillor Taylor referred to the point made by Councillor Booth and added matters like those being addressed in the motion are being discussed in the Council’s Rural and Farming Committee.

The motion was approved.