Warning of eating ‘dirty’ poultry after US trade deal post-Brexit

PEOPLE could be eating “dirty” chlorinated turkey at Christmas if the UK agrees a post-Brexit trade deal with the USA, according to research by Cardiff University.

Leading food policy experts found that poultry in the USA, washed in up to four chemical disinfectants, does not meet EU safety standards.

The academics also found the chemicals are used in the USA to wash fruit, vegetables and fish.

They warn that British shoppers would be safer if the UK kept European Union standards and say future controls should be “stricter, not weaker”.

Cardiff University professor Terry Marsden said: “This is one of a series of food safety concerns of which consumers need to be aware as the Brexit process continues. The UK needs to improve its intensive food production and processing standards and not put both animals and consumers at risk.”

The question of whether the UK would import chlorinewashed meat was raised when US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross warned that a post-Brexit UK-USA trade deal would require that the UK abandoned EU standards.

University of Sussex professor Erik Millstone said: “The UK should continue to insist on improving hygiene standards in poultry farms, slaughter houses and meat-cutting plants, and not allow standards to decline, nor try relying on chemical disinfectants to reduce the harm that filthy meat can cause. UK consumers would be safer to keep EU standards, and not to accept US disinfectant-washedbut-still-dirty poultry.”

According to the report’s authors, the animal carcasses are washed with disinfectants because when they arrive at USA abattoirs and meat-cutting plants they are far more contaminated with infectious filth, including excrement, than in the UK’s current food supply chain.

The UK and EU approach insists that hygiene standards in the supply chain are sufficiently high so they do not need to be chemically disinfected.

Statistics cited in the briefing paper show that 97 per cent of chicken breast meat in the USA contains pathogens such as salmonella and E.coli.

The experts recommended that the UK commits to at least maintaining safety and quality standards, and public health, environmental, animal welfare and consumer organisations should combine to prevent the sale of poultry, fish, fruit and vegetables washed with chemical disinfectants in the UK.