Phoney war over Europe and eggs

So we see press reports that the EU is to ban the sale of eggs by the dozen, fuelled by a huge dose of outrage from Conservative politicians. It is a re-run of Tory fury at an apparent recent EU proposal to rename the English Channel, ‘Le Pond’. Both are untrue.

The legislation in question is the draft EU regulation on food labelling which all mainstream British parties supported in a vote in Strasbourg two weeks ago.

The legislation will ensure that consumers have clear nutritional labelling on front of pack (salt, sugar, fats and calories) so that they can make an informed choice about the food they buy.

Crucially, the legislation tightens up country of origin labels to ensure British meat is truthfully labelled as such - a key issue for British farmers. There is nothing in the draft regulation which would prevent food being labelled by number.

We can all rest assured that eggs can still be sold by the dozen, both in the UK and indeed everywhere else in the European Union.

With deep cuts being made to our public services, our police forces, welfare budgets, capital projects and the scrapping of Yorkshire Forward, there are surely more pressing issues for the new government than fighting phoney wars in Europe.

Linda MCAvan, High Street Wath-upon-Dearne, Rotherham