Fox happy to eat ‘chlorine chicken’

CHICKEN from the US that has been washed in chlorine is safe to eat, Liam Fox said yesterday as he made the case for a post-Brexit trade deal.

The United States last week said it would demand access to the UK market for controversial products like hormone- fed beef, GM crops and chlorine-washed chicken as the price for any trade deal.

All three products are restricted by EU rules, which are due to lapse when the UK leaves this month. Downing Street said the UK would not lower its standards in the pursuit of a deal. But the International Trade Secretary suggested washing food in chlorine to reduce the risk of bacteria was not a health hazard.

He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr show: ‘A lot of our food is already chlorinewashed, the salads that we get. The question is not about safety, the question is about the implications for animal welfare.’

Dr Fox refused to say how many EU-negotiated trade deals would be ready in time for Britain’s exit, but said ‘a lot of countries will not make up their minds to have a final agreement until we get to those last days before Brexit’.