A policy paper has been published by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Scotland, calling for “urgent reform” of UK food labelling regulations while warning that current rules are “confusing, inconsistent and unfair” to both consumers and domestic producers.
The paper sets out a series of practical recommendations that aim to improve transparency across the food system, and was timed to coincide with the Union’s 2026 AGM and Conference, taking place in Glasgow on 5th-6th February.
Kirsty McNeill MP, UK Government Minister for Scotland, is due to address NFUS members at the event, which NFUS said would “offer the opportunity” for the Union to highlight its proposals to her directly.
NFU Scotland president Andrew Connon said: “Consumers in Scotland care deeply about where their food comes from, but they’re being let down by vague and misleading labels. At the same time, world-class food produced by Scottish farmers and crofters is too often undermined or co-mingled with imports that don’t meet our standards.”
“This paper sets out a clear path forward. We’re asking Government and relevant agencies to back honest labelling, support domestic production, and give the public the transparency they deserve.”
The NFUS paper, titled ‘Fair Labels, Fair Markets’, highlighted that over 80% of consumers say origin matters to them, yet fewer than half feel they can easily find that information when shopping.
NFU Scotland has called on UK Government to act on eight key priorities:
- Label food clearly – wherever it’s sold
- Close the loopholes on processed meat
- Put origin on the front, not in the fine print
- End vague labels like “mixed origin”
- Protect flags and provenance
- End the use of fake farms
- Introduce legal protection for meat products
- Enforce tougher rules and report on them
NFU Scotland CEO John Davidson, who led the development of the paper, commented: “These aren’t abstract principles, they affect everyday decisions in shops, restaurants and supply chains. The current system is messy and inconsistent. We’re calling for a reset that protects integrity and builds trust.”
Davidson added that the Union is “keen to work with all levels of Government and industry” to deliver reforms that aim to support national goals on food security, sustainability and local sourcing.
He concluded: “We’re not asking for more red tape, we’re asking for better rules, applied fairly and transparently. We hope the UK Government will take this opportunity to show leadership on an issue that unites producers and the public.”
