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Farm Animal Welfare

Yes. That is a reasonable, desirable and achievable goal, given the necessary political will. More than £2 billion of taxpayers' money is spent on public sector food each year. The average British taxpayer forks out approximately £70 a year on food purchased, prepared and served in the public sector. Numerous benefits can be achieved by introducing mandatory health and sustainability standards for the food that that money pays for. Public sector food should help to solve environmental health and social problems, rather than exacerbate them. The United Nations calculates that the global food system is responsible for between 20 and 30 per cent. of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. Introducing mandatory sustainability standards for public sector food would have a significant impact on changing what we buy and eat in the UK, and on the environment in due course. That could be achieved by setting an example of sustainable consumption for public sector food consumers, and would have a big impact on bringing down the cost of sustainable produce for the benefit of all consumers. That would be only a first step. The arguments applying to eggs apply equally to other produce. Creating demand for sustainable produce in the public sector would bring down the cost of organic fruit and vegetables, sustainable fish, and animal welfare-friendly meat and poultry. Mandatory health standards for the public sector would improve health, not least for schoolchildren, hospital patients, and members of the armed forces, many of whom eat public sector food three times a day. It has been estimated that in the UK alone 70,000 premature deaths are caused by diet-related ill health. Public sector food should aim to bring that figure down rather than drive it up. In a nutshell, a Government commitment to purchase only free range eggs would improve animal welfare, support British farmers, and not increase costs. That can be achieved only with mandatory standards, not by yet another voluntary initiative. It would command great public support and bring public sector food into line with the food that people generally consume at home. That is what is commonly referred to as a no-brainer. I rest my case.