SIR – It is clearly evident that a lack of traceability and some criminal activity lie at the heart of the ongoing horsemeat scandal.

Farm animals reared and slaughtered to the highest standards of welfare and hygiene coupled with a supply chain that can be traced from farm to fork is the only acceptable solution.

While we probably have the best farm animal welfare in the UK, other countries in the European Union certainly do not.

For instance, the banning of sow stalls has been fully implemented in Britain but less than half of other EU countries have bothered to comply with this ruling.

Not only is this bad for animal welfare but it also puts British pig farmers at a huge disadvantage.

For some years now the Countryside Alliance has been calling for “mandatory country of origin labelling for meat”.

At present sausages manufactured in this country from Danish pork can legally be stamped with a union flag and called British.

No one could possibly argue this is honest or acceptable.

All meat and products containing meat should be clearly labelled, saying exactly what it consists of and from which country or countries it comes from.

Food manufacturers and supermarkets must move to support tough legislation that brings about mandatory meat labelling.

This would see British farmers treated fairly and most importantly the consumer told the truth.

JON BURGESS Malvern