British Poultry Council defends UK animal welfare standards
The report stated that the US remained concerned about a number of measures the EU maintains, such as animal welfare, and believed the measures “unnecessarily restrict trade”.
It added that the US believed there were instances where the EU should recognise current US food safety measures, which meant trade could be facilitated considerably.
The British Poultry Council described the US’ offer to trade products that did not meet British food product standards as “insulting”.
“We know that British consumers are unwilling to accept lower standards as part of a trade deal with the US,” said British Poultry Council chief executive Richard Griffiths. “A secure post-Brexit deal must be one that bolsters Britain’s future food security and safety, which enhances our reputation on the global stage.”
A recent poll commissioned by the Institute for Public Policy Research highlighted that UK consumers were willing to cancel a post-Brexit deal with the US in order to protect the UK’s animal welfare and food safety standards.
The UK and US began trading negotiations with regards to chlorine-washed chicken last year, which also prompted a negative reaction among the British poultry sector.
“British poultry producers don’t dip their chicken carcase in chlorine as we do not believe in ‘cleaning up at the end’ or taking any shortcuts when it comes to producing safe food,” Griffiths added.
“Using chemicals to disinfect food at the end of a production process can hide a multitude of sins, but what it can't hide is the need for their use in the first place.”
The UK is currently negotiating with a number of countries to secure post-Brexit trade deals for the meat industry.
The Australian Government put forward concerns last week regarding Britain and the importing of hormone-treated beef. The move was quashed by the British Meat Processors Association chief executive Nick Allen who believed the decision to allow hormone-treated beef would cause “consumer concern”.
