Whitehall under orders to put more British food on menu

But farmers fear they will still be squeezed out by the new rules which will require food bought by Government departments, the military and prisons to meet high British welfare standards – as long as it is not more expensive.

The new rules come after years in which Whitehall departments have shunned home-grown produce in favour of imports which are much cheaper because animal welfare standards are often much lower. Earlier this year the Yorkshire Post revealed that as little as half of the food served to the nation’s servicemen and women is produced on British farms.

But farmers have accused Ministers of a “missed opportunity” after swathes of the public sector – including hospitals, councils and schools – were omitted from the new rules and a loophole was left that means British-standard food only has to be purchased if it is cheaper.

There are also questions over transparency after it emerged that departments will not be forced to publish the proportion of food they source from UK producers – although they have been “strongly advised” to do so by Environment Ministers.

Instead, each department will be required to report annually on what proportion of food has been produced to UK standards.

Despite repeated pledges from different political parties for Government to set a better example of buying domestic produce, Ministers have been hamstrung by the fact that it would be illegal to introduce a simple “buy British” rule.

Instead, Ministers hope to give British farmers an advantage by insisting that produce must meet “UK or equivalent standards of production”. Imports of meat are often cheaper because many foreign countries have lower animal welfare standards to meet - a significant factor in the increased cost of British produce.

However, with public spending under strain, the Government has decided the new rules should only apply if there is no increase in cost – raising fears that British farmers will continue to be under-cut by lower quality foreign produce.

Food Minister Jim Paice said: “This is the delivery of a Government promise to ensure that we do not use taxpayers’ money to undermine our own farmers’ high standards of production. By doing so, we’re practising what we preach and challenging the rest of the public sector to follow.”

But Lee Woodger, head of the food chain unit at the National Farmers Union, said he was “disappointed” and described it as a “missed opportunity”.

“We do understand the austere times we live in, but it just doesn’t seem to address the overall aim of not undermining production,” he said.

He also criticised the decision only to apply the standards to Government departments, saying it was “strange” that the standards would apply to food consumed by prisoners but not hospital patients or school children.

The new rules will also mean all fish bought by the Government having to come from sustainable sources after a vociferous campaign following initial proposals for only 60 per cent to have to be sustainably caught.

The buying requirements, which come into force for new catering contracts from September, also demand that at least half of all tea and coffee is Fair Trade, fresh produce is seasonal and food waste is minimised. They also include elements on healthy eating, such as purchasing foods lower in salt, fat and sugars.

But Ministers have been criticised for taking so long to introduce the rules given the Tories promised swift action on buying British-standard produce before the election and the new rules were promised in the Coalition Agreement.

In opposition the Conservatives ran an Honest Food Campaign, which promised action to clean up misleading country of origin labelling and a better example from Government in buying British.

Alex Jackson, from the Good Food for our Money, campaign, said: “We are appalled that the Government has excluded hospitals and care homes from these standards for food served in the public sector.”

Shadow Environment Secretary Mary Creagh said: “We wait to see what difference it makes, if any, to British pig sector where our higher animal welfare standards are undercut by cheaper imports.”