Ahead of a rally today (Thursday) by the National Farmers' Union (NFU), the British Retail Consortium (BRC) highlighted the efforts retailers are already making to promote British meat and support UK farmers.

British Retail Consortium Food Director, Andrew Opie, said: "Retailers know some consumers prefer to buy British. They're already doing what they need to to look after their supply chain and secure a sustainable UK pig industry so they can sell the products people want to buy.

"Supermarkets do not generally pay farmers directly for their pork. The direct relationship is between farmers and processors. Blaming retailers ignores the importance of the buying decisions made by manufacturers and caterers. The Government should also be questioned about its own procurement policies.

"Keeping shop prices down is the right thing to do in the current financial climate. Making pork products more expensive will just cause customers to buy less, the opposite of what farmers want.

"Our members are the only companies so far to have signed up to a Government commitment on clear country of origin labelling, which helps shoppers get good information about where their food comes from and supports UK farmers."