Secretary Of State Visits Three Counties Show
2010-06-20

The Rt Hon Caroline Spelman MP, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, visited the Three Counties Show today to make an announcement on the subject of Gloucester Old Spot pig meat.

The meat is the latest food to have its name protected by the European Union (EU) and joins 42 UK products on the Protected Food Name (PFN) list. It means that any product bearing the Gloucestershire Old Spots name must come from the breed.

Caroline was speaking from the Pig Judging Rings at the Show which runs from today, 18, to Sunday 20 June. She met Dave Overton, President of the Gloucestershire Old Spots Pig Breeders’ Club, and Richard Lutwyche, the event’s Chief Pig Steward, before touring the livestock lines, the Rural Enterprise Pavilion and the Regional Food and Drink Hall.

The Malvern Showground is the first showground in the country to be awarded a Red Tractor licence for its catering, and the Secretary of State also met with David Clarke, Chief Executive Officer of Assured Farm Standards during her visit.

Before entering Parliament, Caroline had an extensive career in the agricultural sector, spanning fifteen years, and was deputy director of the International Confederation of European Beef Growers.

She was also a research fellow for the Centre for European Agricultural Studies and is the author of a book on the non-food use of agricultural products.

She was appointed on 12 May, 2010 and has overall responsibility for departmental policy, with particular interest in CAP reform, biodiversity and climate change.

She has been a Member of Parliament for Meriden since 1997, and in Opposition, served in the Shadow Cabinet, covering the Environment, International Development and Communities and Local Government portfolios, as well as holding other senior posts.

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