Sustained lobbying by the farming unions has seen the European Parliament Environment and Consumer Protection Committee voting in favour of country of origin labelling on meat, poultry, dairy products, fresh fruit and vegetables and other single-ingredient products back in March. A yes vote on Wednesday will take consumers one step closer to making informed choices about the food they buy.

National Farmers' Union (NFU) Deputy President Meurig Raymond said: “It is clear that the current guidelines aren’t working on food labelling so the NFU has been working hard to keep country of origin labelling high on the political agenda. We expect opposition from some member states so it is important that the vote gets cross party support this week.

“Labelling has remained high on the public agenda and has seen comprehensive coverage by the press – and righty so. More recently the WI declared that country of origin labelling would be its target campaign for 2010.

“The NFU believes that labelling needs to provide accurate, clear and relevant information so consumers can make an informed choice. People buying meat and dairy products want to know where the animal was reared so they know exactly what they are eating. Consumers also want consistency in labelling across all sectors. They deserve not to be misled.”