Would Liam Fox eat a chlorine-washed chicken?
Trade Secretary dismisses media 'obsession' with lower food standards post-Brexit
![chickens](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UMJUcgdeinsHGTURRL4h63-415-80.jpg)
Liam Fox's trip to the US has heightened fears the UK may have to compromise on food and animal safety standards if it wants a trade deal after Brexit.
US farmers are expected to lobby for agriculture to be included in any trade deal, a deal that could see chlorine-washed chicken, GM crops and hormone-fed beef imported into Britain for the first time, The Guardian says.
However, Fox yesterday complained transatlantic trade talks were being undermined by the media's "obsession" with the issue.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"In a debate which should be about how you get, or make, a contribution to global liberalisation and the prosperity of both the UK, the US and our trading partners... the British media are obsessed with chlorine-washed chickens," he told the American Enterprise Institute.
Chickens would be "a detail in the very end stage of one sector of a potential free-trade agreement", he added.
In response, campaign group Open Britain challenged Fox to eat a US chicken. He didn’t answer the call, but the debate is not expected to end there.
"The row over chlorinated chicken is set to intensify with a warning that cheap imported food could threaten farm animal welfare standards after Brexit," Sky News says.
Fox's trip, which is aimed at setting the stage for trade talks, has driven home to many in the UK that the country may have to compromise on food to secure a bilateral trade deal in the US.
Concerns about EU and US standards "were among issues that resulted in the two sides failing to agree a comprehensive trade and investment partnership last year", the BBC says.
US farmers wash their chickens in chlorine to kill salmonella and other bacteria. Under EU rules, such poultry is banned from imports.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Democrats now have a chance to present a vigorous, compelling case'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What has Kamala Harris done as vice president?
In Depth It's not uncommon for the second-in-command to struggle to prove themselves in a role largely defined by behind-the-scenes work
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
How Black organizations quickly pivoted and mobilized for Kamala Harris
In the spotlight Harris has a shot at being the first Black woman to lead the Democratic ticket
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Venezuela election: first vote in a decade offers hope to poverty-stricken nation
The Explainer Nicolás Maduro agreed to 'free and fair' vote but poor polling and threat of prosecution pushes disputed leader to desperate methods
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The Tamils stranded on 'secretive' British island in Indian Ocean
Under the Radar Migrants 'unlawfully detained' since 2021 shipwreck on UK-controlled Diego Garcia, site of important US military base
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The campaign of destruction against 'sea gypsies'
Under the Radar Malaysia targets traditional seafaring Bajau Laut tribe in crackdown on undocumented migrants
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
New Panama president vows to halt migration
Speed Read José Raúl Mulino will stop migration through the Darien Gap
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bolivia general arrested after coup attempt
Speed Read Gen. Juan José Zúñiga led what appeared to be a bid to unseat President Luis Arce
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Who will win France's election of extremes?
Today's Big Question Voters face a stark choice between far-right party and left-wing alliance as centrists lose ground
By Rebecca Messina, The Week UK Published
-
Bolivia's battle to decriminalise coca leaf
Under the Radar WHO study boosts South American nation's desire to export cocaine ingredient
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published