US Trade Deal ‘Could Pose Greatest Risk to UK Food since ‘Mad Cow Disease’

CONSUMER watchdog Which? has written to International Trade Secretary Liz Truss as trade negotiations between the US and UK get under way.

The letter raises concerns that the government has done an about-face on animal welfare and food safety in order to secure a lucrative trade deal with the US.

The watchdog revealed results of a survey showing that 72 per cent of the British public do not want chlorine-washed chicken or hormone-fed beef to be on sale in Britain’s supermarkets.

In the Conservative Party’s manifesto ahead of the last elections, Boris Johnson promised the UK would not “compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards.”

However, many believe that is just what the government has done by going ahead with talks with US food providers, and the voice of opposition is growing louder.

Sue Davies, head of consumer protection and food policy at Which?, commented: “We’re very concerned that the government seems to be backtracking on its commitments.”

In a letter to the International Trade Secretary, she wrote: ‘The UK should be proud of the strides we have made over the past two decades to ensure that wherever people buy and eat food it is underpinned by robust safety, quality and welfare standards.

‘Since the BSE crisis, the UK has led a food safety revolution that has given us an enviable system across the food chain.This could all be at risk depending on the approach that the government takes when it begins a second round of trade talks with the US on Monday.’

The second round of trade negotiations between the US and UK is expected to last until Friday.