Labour's Gordon Prentice told MPs people were sick to death of food scares and being poisoned, as he called for more traditional methods of food production.

In particular, he demanded a ban on the use of low-level antibiotics used in animal feed as a prophylactic.

During agriculture questions, he said: "Isn't it the case that we are close to witnessing some kind of biological Armageddon and that's not overstating the issue - well, maybe it is overstating the issue!

"But, seriously, what can we do to persuade farmers to return to more traditional methods of animal husbandry - because people are just sick to death of all these food scares and the fact that we seem to have been poisoned year after year after year, and the farmers are congenitally incapable of producing food that is safe to eat?"

Aid for organic farmers

Deputy Agriculture Minister Jeff Rooker said that low-level antibiotics were not authorised for prophylactic or preventative use in animal feeds, but some low-level antibiotics were authorised as growth promoters under an EU directive.

He said the government was taking a range of measures to encourage farmers to produce food without chemicals, including a rigorous programme of surveillance for pesticide residues and veterinary medicine residues.

More aid was also being given to organic farmers.

The government was considering its response to a select committee study of the issue, he said.