Nick Dearden of the campaign group Global Justice Now, which has warned about the implications of the UK doing a trade deal with the US, said the EU had heavily restricted the use of chlorine in salad washing several years ago.
“The reason US farmers do it is because their animals are raised in such cramped conditions that the only way to stop them becoming diseased is to dunk them in chlorine,” he said. “It’s really an animal welfare issue here. If UK farmers want to compete against American imports they’ll have to lower standards or go out of business.”
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has also raised concerns over food safety and animal welfare standards when future trade deals are negotiated. “It is imperative that any future trade deals, including a possible deal with the US, do not allow the imports of food produced to lower standards than those required of British farmers,” said the NFU president, Minette Batters.
Jim Moseley, the CEO of Red Tractor Assurance, which oversees standards on many British farms, said: “Categorically, the UK’s food standards are now under threat from the commercial appetites of the United States food lobby. We urge the government not to sacrifice legislation which prevents these sort of products from being sold in the UK.
“British people deserve better than having their world-leading food standards sold out from underneath them. Our research shows that shoppers look for food that has been produced to the highest standards of food safety, animal welfare and traceability.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/mar/02/us-ambassador-to-uk-woody-johnson-under-fire-over-defence-of-chlorinated-chicken-post-brexit-jay-rayner
