Speaking at the Oxford Farming Conference, Irish MEP Mairead McGuinness said that there is enough regulation already but it has been ineffective because of the way it has been implemented across Europe.

She said that there is a need for better and more effective implementation of the rules.

Ms McGuinness said that the uneven implementation of the laws was often caused in some member states because of a lack of resources.

And she added that it was up to the European Commission to ensure full implementation of the directives and it is up to the European Parliament to put pressure on the different countries in order to ensure even handed implementation.

However, in her speech to the conference Ms McGuinness said that it was not the job of the politicians to micromanage farms.

"That is the job for farmers," she said.

"It is our job to look for new ways to get the policy framework right and leave the farmers makes the all-important management decisions in conjunction with their advisors and taking into account the economic and environmental concerns."

Ms McGuinness' call for more pressure to ensure regulations are enforced evenly across Europe was echoed by chairman of Quality Meat Scotland, Jim McLean.

He said "We do not need more regulations we need more implementation."

He added that the new sow stall ban that the UK had imposed more than a decade ago, had come into effect at the beginning of the year, but pig meat from systems that had not implemented the system was still coming into the UK.

"You have to have sanctions on those countries that do not implement the regulations," he said.