Three supermarket chains in the UK have been criticised by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) for stocking imported beef products.

In a statement, the NFU said it has been made aware of beef from the likes of Uruguay, Australia and New Zealand being made available in Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s.

NFU livestock board chair David Barton said the retailers were “reneging” on previous commitments to only offer UK-origin beef to customers.

“It’s deeply concerning to see major retailers now move away from their previous commitments in the last few weeks in favour of imports, many of which have been produced to lower standards.

“It seems on the rare occasions when the price of beef gives fair reward to British producers, which is much needed at this current time of crisis, these sourcing commitments are abandoned,” he said.

The NFU point to a survey of 2,000 consumers from last year which found 87% of respondents think it is important that food imports have the same animal welfare standards as the UK.

Barton said UK farmers have been consistently investing in higher standards, such as reducing antibiotic use in beef and lowering stocking densities in poultry sheds.

However, the Cotswold beef and arable farmer said delivering on higher standards ultimately comes with additional financial costs for producers.

“Long-term sourcing commitments from retailers are essential to ensuring that the high welfare British food consumers want remains available,” he said.