Environment Secretary George Eustice refuses to rule out importing chlorinated chicken under US trade deal, claiming ‘lactic acid washes’ are now used instead
- Environment Secretary said the UK would not reduce animal welfare standards
- But he refused to categorically rule out import of US chlorine-washed chicken
- Issue is likely to be brought up during Brexit trade deal talks with Washington
- Mr Eustice also defended Boris Johnson for failing to visit victims of flooding
Environment Secretary George Eustice today refused to categorically rule out chlorine-washed chicken being imported into the UK under a Brexit trade deal with the US.
Mr Eustice said the sale of the product, along with that of hormone-treated beef, is currently illegal in Britain and the government has ‘no plans’ to change the law.
However, he declined to give a cast iron commitment on the issue as he suggested the controversial chlorine-washing method had largely been replaced with ‘lactic acid washes’.
Meanwhile, Mr Eustice defended Boris Johnson after the Prime Minister was widely criticised for failing to visit flooding victims last week.
Mr Eustice said the government was not a ‘one man show’ and insisted it was the right approach for relevant Cabinet ministers to be put in charge of the government’s response to major events.
George Eustice, the Environment Secretary, today refused to rule out chlorinated chicken being imported to the UK from the US under a Brexit trade deal
Boris Johnson, pictured at a meeting of his Cabinet on February 14, has faced criticism for failing to visit UK flooding victims but Mr Eustice said the government is not a ‘one man show’
The US and the UK are due to begin trade deal talks in the coming months and both administrations have expressed optimism that an agreement could be in place by the end of the year.
But the row over chlorinated chicken is likely to prove a major sticking point during negotiations, with the US adamant that it wants North American agriculture to be able to access the UK market.
Ministers have repeatedly rejected the idea of accepting chlorine-washed chicken amid concerns about animal welfare standards during the production process.
However, Mr Eustice did not give a firm commitment on the issue when he was asked to this morning during an interview with Sky News.
He said: ‘Look, the truth is that it is already illegal in this country to sell chlorine washed chicken or indeed hormone beef. That is in our legislation.
‘But the important thing I would say is we believe very passionately in this country about our food standards and our animal welfare standards.’
He added: ‘We are absolutely clear as a government that we will not take risks either with our food standards and that when it comes to animal welfare we will be projecting our views on animal welfare on the international stage.’
Mr Eustice was told that the UK could opt to change the law if the US demanded the import of the products be included in a Brexit trade deal.
Asked whether that would be a ‘red line’ for the UK, Mr Eustice appeared to dodge the question as he said: ‘I am not quite sure why the US would make such demands because actually chlorine washes on chicken are very outdated technology and it is not really used by the US any more any way.
‘What they tend to use these days are lactic acid washes.’
He added: ‘What I am saying is we won’t make any moves on our standards. We have got a clear position in this country that it is illegal to sell chlorine washed chicken, illegal to sell beef treated with hormones.
‘We have no plans to change those things but equally… it is not the case that the US currently use chlorine washed chicken anyway.’
The importance of the issue to the US was summed up in January when ambassador to the UK Woody Johnson said the products should not be banned in Britain.
Woody Johnson, the US ambassador to the UK, said in January this year that chlorinated chicken should ‘absolutely be included’ in a post-Brexit trade deal
He argued that the UK already allows a similar cleaning process for salads and chlorinated chicken should ‘absolutely be included’ in a trade accord between the two countries.
Mr Eustice was also grilled over Mr Johnson’s decision not to visit flooding victims.
The PM spent last week at his grace and favour Chevening country estate in Kent and has not been seen in public in nine days.
Mr Eustice defended the PM and said: ‘In a Cabinet government it is not a one man show.
‘It is right that on certain operational things such as this the Prime Minister will ask one of his Cabinet members to lead and I cannot see anything wrong with that.’