British farmers urge Government not to allow imports of acid-washed chicken into the UK as part of a US trade deal
- British Poultry Council and National Farmers’ Union fear lower food standards
- George Eustice hinted UK would be open to discussions over acid-washed meat
- British farmers have argued this system masks poor animal welfare conditions
British food producers have warned against accepting chemically washed chicken to secure a US trade deal.
Both the British Poultry Council (BPC) and National Farmers’ Union (NFU) fear the Government is clearing the way to accept food produced to lower standards than allowed here.
Environment Secretary George Eustice has hinted that the UK would be open to discussions over imports of acid-washed meat, which could be pivotal to trade talks.
The system is used in the US to disinfect carcasses. But British farmers and consumer groups argue it masks poor animal welfare conditions that would be illegal in this country.
Environment Secretary George Eustice (pictured) has hinted that the UK would be open to discussions over imports of acid-washed meat, which could be pivotal to trade talks
BPC chief executive, Richard Griffiths, said: ‘British poultry producers don’t dip their chicken carcasses in chemicals as we do not ‘clean up at the end’ or take any short-cuts.’
NFU president Minette Batters will tell members today that UK standards must not be ‘undermined’.
She will warn: ‘This isn’t just about chlorinated chicken. This is about a wider principle.
‘We must not tie the hands of British farmers to the highest rung of the standards ladder while waving through food imports which may not even reach the bottom rung.
‘If the government is serious about animal welfare and environmental protection, and doing more than any previous government, it must put legislation in the Agriculture Bill.
British farmers and consumer groups argue it masks poor animal welfare conditions that would be illegal in this country (stock image)
‘What is government waiting for? What is more important to our economy, our health and our environment than the very food that we eat?’
Meanwhile, ahead of Mr Eustice’s speech to the NFU conference on Wednesday, the Government is publishing new details of its future Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELM), which will replace the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy that mostly pays farmers for the amount of land they farm.
The new ELMs will pay farmers for work that enhances the environment, such as tree or hedge planting, river management to reduce flooding or creating or restoring habitats for wildlife, the Environment Department (Defra) said.