(NAFB) — The U.S. beef and poultry industries got some bad news through a recent article on BBC Dot Com. Chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-treated beef will be kept out of the United Kingdom under any potential trade deal with the U.S. That comes straight from the UK environmental secretary.
Theresa Villiers tells the BBC that the current European Union ban on the products will carry over into UK legislation after the United Kingdom leaves the EU. Villiers says, “There are legal barriers to the imports and those are going to stay in place. We will defend our national interests and our values, including our high standards of animal welfare.”
The EU says using chlorine to wash the chickens and kill salmonella infections allows American farmers to be careless with the welfare of chickens. There is no known human health threat from using the solution to keep chickens free of infection. The EU also says feeding cows with growth-enhancing chemicals could potentially have negative health effects on the humans that consume the beef products.
The United States says these rules are nothing more than an attempt by Europe to protect its producers. America has stated publicly that both of these meat products will be central to any possible U.K.-U.S. deal after Brexit.
Source: National Association of Farm Broadcasters