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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/nov/07/fox-says-public-wont-accept-lower-food-standards-in-chlorinated-chicken-row
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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Fox says public won't accept lower food standards in chlorinated chicken row | Fox says public won't accept lower food standards in chlorinated chicken row |
| (30 days later) | |
| Change in stance comes day after Trump adviser said that a US-UK trade deal hinged on scrapping EU food import rules | Change in stance comes day after Trump adviser said that a US-UK trade deal hinged on scrapping EU food import rules |
| Jessica Elgot Political reporter | Jessica Elgot Political reporter |
| Tue 7 Nov 2017 09.48 GMT | Tue 7 Nov 2017 09.48 GMT |
| Last modified on Wed 14 Feb 2018 15.30 GMT | |
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| The international trade secretary, Liam Fox, has said the British public will not accept the diluting of animal welfare standards, a day after Donald Trump’s most senior trade adviser said a US-UK trade deal hinged on scrapping EU food standards regulations, including on chlorinated chicken. | The international trade secretary, Liam Fox, has said the British public will not accept the diluting of animal welfare standards, a day after Donald Trump’s most senior trade adviser said a US-UK trade deal hinged on scrapping EU food standards regulations, including on chlorinated chicken. |
| On Monday, Wilbur Ross, the US commerce secretary, suggested any post-Brexit deal with Washington would hinge on the UK scrapping some EU rules that hinder imports of US chicken washed in chlorine or other products currently prohibited, such as hormone-treated beef. | On Monday, Wilbur Ross, the US commerce secretary, suggested any post-Brexit deal with Washington would hinge on the UK scrapping some EU rules that hinder imports of US chicken washed in chlorine or other products currently prohibited, such as hormone-treated beef. |
| Fox has previously been sympathetic to the change, though Michael Gove – secretary of state at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – has repeatedly said Defra will not allow a weakening of UK food standards. | Fox has previously been sympathetic to the change, though Michael Gove – secretary of state at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – has repeatedly said Defra will not allow a weakening of UK food standards. |
| Speaking to business leaders in London at the CBI conference on Monday, Ross said changing the regulations would be a “critical component of any trade discussion” between the UK and the US. | Speaking to business leaders in London at the CBI conference on Monday, Ross said changing the regulations would be a “critical component of any trade discussion” between the UK and the US. |
| Fox said the UK would learn lessons from the EU’s trade negotiations with the US for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, which had significant public resistance. | Fox said the UK would learn lessons from the EU’s trade negotiations with the US for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, which had significant public resistance. |
| “We have made very clear we are not going to see reductions in our standards as we move forward, partly because British consumers wouldn’t stand for it,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday. | “We have made very clear we are not going to see reductions in our standards as we move forward, partly because British consumers wouldn’t stand for it,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday. |
| ‘We are entering an era where I think people will take a much bigger interest in trade agreements than they might have done in the past, on environmental standards, quality and safety, they will clearly have very strong views.” | ‘We are entering an era where I think people will take a much bigger interest in trade agreements than they might have done in the past, on environmental standards, quality and safety, they will clearly have very strong views.” |
| Fox said the government would commit to a wider consultation process before signing new trade deals. | Fox said the government would commit to a wider consultation process before signing new trade deals. |
| “Consumers will want to be consulted – we don’t want to get into a situation where we’ve been with the TTIP agreement with the US and the EU where a huge amount of work is done only to find the public won’t accept it. We need to understand those parameters early on,” he said. | “Consumers will want to be consulted – we don’t want to get into a situation where we’ve been with the TTIP agreement with the US and the EU where a huge amount of work is done only to find the public won’t accept it. We need to understand those parameters early on,” he said. |
| In his comments on Monday, Ross said it was important for the UK’s deal to leave the EU to take into account America’s “commercial interests”. | In his comments on Monday, Ross said it was important for the UK’s deal to leave the EU to take into account America’s “commercial interests”. |
| He said current EU regulations on food products, as well as automotive industry standards and chemical exports, were some of the “key impediments … Something we hope to be able to quickly fix between our two countries”. | He said current EU regulations on food products, as well as automotive industry standards and chemical exports, were some of the “key impediments … Something we hope to be able to quickly fix between our two countries”. |
| Fox’s response to the US commerce secretary’s comments on Tuesday are markedly different to his previous approach to the issue, which led to a rift with cabinet colleagues. | Fox’s response to the US commerce secretary’s comments on Tuesday are markedly different to his previous approach to the issue, which led to a rift with cabinet colleagues. |
| He told a committee of MPs last week there were “no health reasons why you couldn’t eat chickens that have been washed in chlorinated water” when quizzed about whether the UK intended to relax its standards. “Most of the salads in our supermarkets are rinsed in chlorinated water,” he said. | He told a committee of MPs last week there were “no health reasons why you couldn’t eat chickens that have been washed in chlorinated water” when quizzed about whether the UK intended to relax its standards. “Most of the salads in our supermarkets are rinsed in chlorinated water,” he said. |
| In a separate committee however, Gove said the cabinet remained united in its opposition to the practice, but said that was on grounds of animal welfare, rather than because the chlorine wash was unsafe to eat. | In a separate committee however, Gove said the cabinet remained united in its opposition to the practice, but said that was on grounds of animal welfare, rather than because the chlorine wash was unsafe to eat. |
| The practice of washing chickens in the chlorine solution has been said to lead to an overall relaxing of hygiene standards for industrial meat production, therefore lowering welfare standards for the birds. | The practice of washing chickens in the chlorine solution has been said to lead to an overall relaxing of hygiene standards for industrial meat production, therefore lowering welfare standards for the birds. |
| Trade policy | Trade policy |
| Food safety | Food safety |
| Animal welfare | Animal welfare |
| Brexit | Brexit |
| Liam Fox | Liam Fox |
| news | news |
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