BPC issues manifesto to MEP’s on poultry sector

Ahead of the European Parliamentary elections on Thursday 22 May 2014, the British Poultry Council has called on all candidates to see themselves as facilitators of growth in the UK poultry market.

Poultry is an important part of the European economy; in 2012 the EU-27 produced 12.9 million tonnes of poultry meat, employed an estimated 303,000 people and had a production value of €32 billion, the organisation said in a statement. The UK market is second only to France in terms of EU production of poultry meat.

The British Poultry Council is calling on all candidates to take forward twelve priorities over four key themes into the next parliamentary term.

Food Quality – Safeguard consumer confidence in food quality by defending hygiene standards, undertake microbiological inspections and ensure better labelling.

Sustainable Production – Be a champion for intensive poultry production, support its development and promote Genetically Modified technology and the responsible use of feed.

Animal Health and Welfare – Continue to lead on promoting animal welfare in other countries, implement risk based regulation and support self-regulation for compliant companies.

EU and the Global Marketplace – support market access to enable exports of poultry meat, review and where possible reduce the cost of regulation on the industry and insist that foreign imports meet the standards set by EU products.