Chicken import complaints

Morrison’s supermarket chain, which has been strongly identified as supportive of British farming with its policy of buying 100 per cent of its beef, lamb and chicken from Britain, has come under fire after buying poultry meat from Europe.

English NFU poultry board chairman Duncan Priestner said that, while he understood the difficulties retailers faced with consumers demanding a variety of price levels, it came at the cost of animal welfare standards and British poultry meat. “British poultry producers have committed and invested in their businesses in order to supply Morrisons so it is extremely disappointing that Morrisons has made this decision,” he said.

A spokesman for Morrisons yesterday said a small percentage OF customers wanted extremely low-priced chicken.

He said the company, which sells about one million chickens a week, was only importing in about 5 per cent of their total requirements. There was no set timescale on the importations.