South of England Show message - 'keep it local'

David Allam, Chairman of the Food & Farming Committee of the South of England Agricultural Society, said: "Selling and promoting local produce '“ directly to the public and through the catering and tourism industries - is now firmly on the agenda in the South of England, where people realise what could be lost if we don't invest in our local communities, especially in recession times."

Nick Herbert, Minister for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and MP for Arundel and South Downs, added: "Consumers value high quality, local produce, and they should be able to tell British food from the label when they go shopping.

"Unfortunately, current food labelling regulations are misleading and Conservatives are demanding mandatory country of origin labelling so that meat labelled 'British' must be born and bred in Britain, raised to our high welfare standards.

"Honest food labelling will help restore trust and allow people to choose British food, including high quality local produce, with confidence."

Clive Beddall OBE, chair of Sussex Food & Drink Awards, added: "Nick's highly pertinent comments about country of origin labelling have been widely welcomed across the industry.

"Like many others, I have always been astounded that meat imported from abroad and processed into products like bacon, sausage and pies in Britain can be labelled as 'British'."

The South of England Show at the Ardingly showground runs until Saturday, June 13 and is open between 9am and 6pm.

Video report from the show (links to our sister paper).

Slideshow from the show (links to our sister paper).