Animal welfare standards way below Britain’s

ANTIBIOTIC use, animal welfare practices and pesticides are just some of the main differences between our farming systems and food standards and those across the Atlantic, with British farmers living by some of the strictest rules in the world. But it is feared a US trade deal would mean the UK lowering to US standards for our farms to be able to compete on price.

In the UK, antibiotic use on farms has halved in recent years.

The US and some EU countries use five times as many antibiotics per animal as the UK.

We do not allow genetically modified crops but in the US 88% of corn and 93% of soy are genetically modified and products containing GM ingredients are commonly sold.

The US currently uses 72 pesticides that are not approved here – including carcinogens, possible endocrine disruptors, and those that cause harm to the development and reproductive systems of children, according to consumer group Which.

Other practices banned here but permitted in the US are the use of ractopamine – a feed additive used to promote growth – in pig farming and growth hormones in beef cattle.

American poultry is also more intensively reared with millions of chickens packed into barns resulting in high levels of bacteria.

Chemically washing chicken is banned in the UK over concerns that chlorine and other washes are used to rectify hygiene problems in farms and slaughterhouses.

In the US, chemical washes are classed as “processing aids”, not ingredients, so do not have to be declared on packaging, “producing chicken that may not be safe to eat” warns the Soil Association.

UK consumers can also clearly choose items in supermarkets based on welfare considerations as the terms “free range” and “organic” are legal definitions.