THE former chairman of Northern Foods, Lord Haskins, is to speak at a major national conference being staged near York in the wake of the horsemeat crisis.

Assuring The Integrity Of The Food Chain takes place at the Food and Environment Research Agency in Sand Hutton tomorrow.

Lord Haskins was chairman of Northern Foods for 16 years and advised the Government in 2001 on rural issues at the height of the foot and mouth disease epidemic.

At the conference, Lord Haskins will highlight the importance of the traceability of food to consumers and how the food industry has to strike the right balance between assuring the integrity of the food supply chain and adding cost.

Lord Haskins, who farms in East Yorkshire, said: “The whole issue of protecting the food supply chain has been building in the last few weeks and isn’t going away.

“The conference will generate a much-needed discussion among all those involved in the food industry as to how we win back consumer confidence – and quickly.”