25 March 2011 – Keith has written to British Supermarkets calling for higher animal welfare standards of their pork products and asking them to accept their responsibility to British consumers who demand higher welfare pork products.

Keith has urged British supermarkets such as Asda, Sainsbury and Tesco to ensure that all pork, bacon and ham products that they sell are either free range or produced to RSPCA ‘Freedom Food’ standards.

Keith believes that consumers have a right to know that supermarkets they buy from do not support industrial pig farming which has a detrimental impact on the environment, the health of workers and local residents, and not least of all, animal welfare.

Keith has also written to the EU Commission to ask them to put pressure on Member States to fully enforce the Pigs Directive, which sets welfare standards. Keith also asked the Commission to extend the EU ban on sow stalls and to ban the use of farrowing crates.