Arkansas Representative Steve Womack, along with 46 members of Congress, have sent a letter to US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer requesting that American chicken products be included in any new trade agreement with the United Kingdom.
The letter specifically addresses the European Union’s long-standing, unscientific ban on US-exported chicken due to an American practice of using chlorine during processing. The UK formally adhered to the EU’s food safety standards in 1997 and American chicken has been prohibited from entry since that time.
“With almost one of five pounds of chicken being exported, a robust and expanding overseas market is extremely important to the economic health and well-being of the US chicken industry,” said Mike Brown, president of the Washington, DC-headquartered National Chicken Council (NCC). “Including US chicken is critical in any new trade agreement with the UK – an agreement that should not be hampered by artificial trade barriers.”
Britain formally departed the European Union on January 31, 2020 and is now free to negotiate its own trade agreements with other nations. The US Trade Representative (USTR) first notified Congress on October 16, 2018 of its intent to negotiate a trade deal with the UK upon its exit from the EU and formally published its negotiating objectives on February 29, 2019. Britain published its post-Brexit negotiating objectives on March 2, 2020, which included explicit references to “chlorine-washed chicken.”
“The UK’s current food and product standards should be maintained and not negatively impacted by a free trade agreement with the US,” Britain’s negotiating objectives read.
“Antimicrobial spray washes are used in the production process to improve food safety. However, all rinses, including chlorine, must be approved by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and their use is limited to specific amounts,” the letter reads. “This is just one step in the process – the USDA also inspects all chicken produced in the US. Additionally, only an estimated 10% of the processing plants in the United States use chlorine throughout production and scientific research confirms using chlorine-washed chicken does not pose any human health concerns, nor is it present in the final product. There is no question that extensive scientific research and inspection are applied throughout the entire chicken production process to ensure consumer safety.”
More information on the use of antimicrobial rinses can be found at Chicken Check In.
