So there will be chlorinated chicken in the Uk then ...

[Hermanhessescat]

According to the Independent the government is ready to open british markets to previously prohibited US products to ensure a US trade deal. They are seemingly considering allowing products like chlorinated chicken and hormone fed beef to be imported but applying tarrifs initially 'to protect uk based farmers from competition.' The tarrifs however may be only temporary and could be reduced to zero over 10 years once uk farmers have adapted to the new 'normal.' So basically the US will be able to import foodstuffs which don't comply with the same high production methods used in the uk despite michael gove and theresa villiers promising otherwise. They are already folding under the pressure of US negociators which doesn't bode well for discussions involving nhs contracts. So yet again ordinary people are sold down the river unlike boris who undoubtedly will never be served it at number 10. And even if you don't object to the concept of chlorinated chicken surely this proves yet again that this government is quite prepared just to lie.

I suspect that the people supporting it will be of the attitude that people, usually poor, should have the choice whether to eat it or not. It's not something that should be dictated by the so called nanny state in their opinion. If I remember correctly quite a few tories were opposed to the traffic light system (obviously lobbied by big food manufacturers).

@Scotinengland76 is the daily mail for righties shit too ? I think this was also reported in that well known marxist rag the daily telegraph.

I don't think it is in the UK.

Of course it is. And good thing too.

Well, it is fine from a human consumption standpoint.

Not even that. Incidence of campylobacter in the US is about 10x that in the UK. This is not only an animal welfare but a public health issue.

Over time our food standards will fall to match the US exactly. Our farmers will get squeezed and bought out but foreign mega farm groups. Our environmental standards will be removed - pesticides, herbicides, fungicides - whatever the US farmcos want they will get.
Our labels will be tinkered with, our processed foods will veer towards high fat/high fructose as in US because it generates the most money for the people who have bought our government.
And because all this will cause obesity and diabetes to increase we will sell off (covertly) our NHS.
Perhaps they'll take over running our schools too.
We voted to become a vassal state.

It’s not just the responsibly chlorinated chicken you have to look forward to, there are all sorts of tasty American treats to enjoy!

There are made with loads of really great flavors, preservatives and colorings so it all looks and tastes amazing and lasts for ages in the cupboard. What’s not to love?

And the best part is despite being really high quality it is actually very cheap to buy!

Chickens for meat are kept abysmally. It's not the chlorine I'd worry about

Chickens (and other animals) for meat are kept much more abysmally outside the EU - if you care about animals then you should be very worried about Brexit and trade deals

Jamie Oliver posted about this yesterday and there is a link to a petition by the NFU on this .Im assuming I’m allowed to post this link? www.campaigns.nfuonline.com/page/56262/petition/1?locale=en-GB

Will bump for this Thanks @scattyandbemusedattimes

@FourPlasticRings

I’m mean it’s not like they’ve already changed the labelling laws to hide origin. On wait they have.

It’ll be the NHS next. We’re so fucked.

But at least we’re getting rid of the unelected
bureaucrats. Oh wait.

And at least Boris is taking back control- of his own front bench.

WTF is our government thinking?

Knowing that shower of pricks:
"Must remember to buy shares in General Foods... Monsanto... "

The US trade deal would BAN source labelling
so you would not be allowed to know whether your chicken was organic English or chlorinated Kansas

I remember watching a programme on food production in the states a few years ago. It was all pretty horrific, but the bit I really remember was the beef, specifically hamburger/mince production.

Most beef in the states is fed on corn (because of subsidies make it profitable for farmers to grow, so there is a surplus, so it becomes animal feed). But cows can't fully digest corn, so it ferments in their stomachs and allows e-coli to grow there. The cattle are then killed and the meat mixed with 1000s of other cows (ie no traceability for contaminated herds). Because of the ecoli risk, the mince is washed in ammonia before being sold.

However, if the cow was let onto grass for 1 week prior to slaughter, this would be sufficient to flush all the e-coli (and undigested corn) from their stomachs.

To be fair, if you eat supermarket meat at the moment then you are deluded if you think its not utter shit already. I do still eat meat but loads less these days and this might be the final straw to make me go veggie!

I have given up completely on this government, I feel totally helpless.

And this is why I don’t eat much meat anymore. Gross.

It's way too late for petitions. The a UK is economically fucked.

We have no trading partners.

The only way to ensure decent animal welfare standards, labelling transparency and food security is not to have voted Brexit. If you voted Brexit, this was a well publicised and obvious economic consequence.

Just wait til they get into the NHS...

The lack of country of origin information on the from the US is key. It takes choice away from the consumer. US food producers are strongly opposed to it and it not being used will be in the trade deal. By the contrast the EU puts a high value on consumer information and the power to make informed choices.
Chlorine is used as a disinfectant wash at the end of the production process in an attempt to mitigate the terrible animal husbandry practices found in much American food production. Its efficacy is doubted. The US has very many more instances of food poisoning, salmonella etc per capita than occur in eg European countries.
It will be accepting a dreadful diminution in standards, both in terms of the care and treatment of animals and food standards.

'Food from'

And this story did not start with the Independent. This has been a hot issue around any trade deal with the US for ages. This and the use of pesticides banned for decades in Europe. There are minimal requirements as to listing the contents of food stuffs too. Again in sharp contrast to the situation as governed by the EU. It really light to give people pause for thought.

I agree that it’s a story that’s been around for ages but it was also dismissed as project fear. Most people wouldn’t or couldn’t believe that an elected government would take such a retrograde step as far as food standards are concerned but they clearly are quite happy to do so. Repeatedly. But it’s all lumped together as the ‘will of the people’ so beyond challenging...

Tap water contains chlorine.

There's no fluoride in the water in London. FYI

And people think it can be shrugged off with' well, you don't have to buy this stuff'. The key issue is you won't have a choice as you won't know.

so you would not be allowed to know whether your chicken was organic English or chlorinated Kansas

You'd have to get rid of the RSPCA assured label and the organic label too. I don't think that will go through tbh. The MPs eat met too and they'll need a way of knowing where it came from. Also, I don't see how they could ban the 'British' label, although they might not be able to enforce an 'American' label.

@ITonyah

But they’ve already changed the labelling laws.