The UK is pushing for Brussels to adopt country of origin labelling (COOL) for dairy products.
UK farming minister George Eustice said that shoppers have the right to know whether the cheese and milk they buy originates in the UK at a meeting of European agriculture ministers yesterday (17 June). He suggested that a "clear labelling scheme" would support UK dairy and meet growing domestic and international demand for UK produce.
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A recent report commissioned by the European Commission suggested that introducing mandatory labelling would result in significant costs. Eustice insisted that the cost would be low if the focus was on products like milk, cheese, cream and butter.
Eustice said: "We successfully campaigned for country of origin labels on beef, lamb, pork and poultry, which has allowed consumers to show their support for the British meat industry. Extending it to dairy products is a sensible next step and will be a significant boost for our hard working dairy farmers."
