Conservative leader David Cameron has called for clearer food labelling to be introduced in order to help consumers buy genuine British food.

Speaking to the Oxford Farming Conference, Mr Cameron said that the public found it difficult to support UK farming because of inadequate labelling. He said: "Food can be imported to Britain, processed here, and subsequently labelled in a way that suggests it's genuinely British. That is completely wrong.

"I cannot overstate the importance of enabling informed consumer choice. Effective marketing can only be achieved if labelling is accurate and clear."

The Conservative leader said that many people wanted to eat British food wherever possible. He said: "They're not just supporting British farmers out of a sense of solidarity or a desire to limit carbon emissions. They also realise that food that has been preserved and flown or driven long distances often tastes second rate. I know this may raise issues with the European Union, But the role of a government that cares about British farming is not to sit on its hands and say 'there's nothing we can do', but instead to test these rules and if necessary challenge and change them.

Mr Cameron also referred to the role farmers had to play in combating climate change by exploiting new markets, like fuel-crop growing, producing wool for home insulation and willow coppicing to provide fuel for local boilers. He said: "We shouldn't get carried away. So far, it's been tough to make profits in these markets. And, as sceptics point out, not every farmer can go down this path and, even if they did, we wouldn't solve all our environmental or security problems.

"But these are new markets. And they are an important part of the future. And a Conservative government would do all that it could to remove the obstacles to their development, including looking at the incentives provided by the tax system."

(KMcA)