this post was submitted on 04 Apr 2025
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cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/26864906

Britain must allow US chlorine-washed chicken into UK markets if it wants relief from sweeping tariffs, Donald Trump has indicated.

It comes after the UK failed to avoid tariffs imposed on the global economy, with the US president slapping a 10 per cent levies on all British exports to the United States.

...

In a statement published alongside the tariff announcement, the White House said: “The UK maintains non-science-based standards that severely restrict US exports of safe, high-quality beef and poultry products.”

It suggested that Britain’s ban on chlorinated chicken was among a range of “non-tariff barriers” that limit the US’s ability to trade.

The UK has long ruled out allowing imports of chlorine-washed chicken from the US due to health concerns, with Downing Street on Thursday reiterating its manifesto commitment to high food standards.

Asked whether the UK could allow imports of chlorine washed chicken in order to appease the US, the prime minister’s officials spokesperson said: “Our position on that is unchanged. You’ve got the manifesto commitment on food standards, which obviously remains.”

...

The last major polling done on the issue, conducted in 2020, revealed that 80 per cent of Britons are opposed to allowing imports to the UK, and the same proportion is also against allowing chicken products that have been farmed using hormones.

There is also growing pressure from the farming industry to rule out concessions on the issue, amid fears it could undercut British farmers and drive down food standards.

Nigel Farage admitted he would allow American chlorine-washed chicken to be sold in the UK as part of a free trade deal with the US.

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[–] ReiRose@lemmy.world 3 points 3 hours ago

There's no way that the uk is going to be ok with this. It's gross and not how the world works. Stop it America

[–] CileTheSane@lemmy.ca 28 points 9 hours ago

The UK maintains non-science-based standards

Maybe look at who is in charge of your health department before your start complaining about "non-science-based standards"

[–] not_woody_shaw@lemmy.world 25 points 11 hours ago

Shut the fuck up Donny, you're out of your element.

[–] SleepyBear@lemmy.world 9 points 9 hours ago (5 children)

Wait....does that mean Americans are currently consuming chicken thats been washed in chlorine?! How the FUCK is that up to scientific and health standards??

Do you drink tap water?

[–] Exatron@lemmy.world 3 points 3 hours ago

It's not as much of a thing in the US today, but even the European Commission has found that it's not a problem unless you're eating 5% of your bodyweight in chlorinated chicken every day. It's mostly protectionism for European poultry farmers under the guise of safety.

Sources: European Commission. (2003, April). The evaluation of antimicrobial treatments for poultry carcasses.

European Commission. (2008, April). Environmental impact and effect on antimicrobial resistance of four substances used for the removal of microbial surface contamination of poultry carcasses

European Food Safety Authority. (2015). Risks for public health related to the presence of chlorate in food.

[–] treadful@lemmy.zip 7 points 6 hours ago

Most of our tap water has a touch of chlorine to kill off microorganisms. No need to jerk that knee.

[–] wispy_jsp@lemmy.world 8 points 8 hours ago

Honestly, given all the cramped factory farms and wide spread disease in poultry factories, it's probably good we chlorine them up. Not to say I'd expect another country with better production methods to want to buy our shitty meat though

[–] El_Scapacabra@lemm.ee 3 points 8 hours ago

Haven't you heard? It rinses away all the covid from the internal organs. If it works for people it's definitely good enough for chickens.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 21 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (2 children)

Why do they want us to eat their chlorinated chicken so badly? Sounds like an evil agenda coming along....

We have our own farmers anyway.

Nigel Farage admitted he would allow American chlorine-washed chicken to be sold in the UK as part of a free trade deal with the US.

So called "nationalist", support local farmers.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 7 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

So called “nationalist”, support local farmers.

Nothing more British than shutting down a local business to reap profit from outsourcing. Just ask Thatcher.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 1 points 9 hours ago
[–] Ardycake@lemm.ee 10 points 12 hours ago (2 children)

I wasn't born in the US but find myself living here. The food is awful. Cutting corners and padding some pockets, but listeria outbreaks on our food has become a weekly commonplace. Hundreds of recalls a month. The food is so treated its inedible. I cut almost everything out and buy from imported stores as much as possible. Even European brands often have an American version that is full of junk, so I have to read labels so carefully. I wish it wasn't this way. No one here wants this.

[–] mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah, there’s a phenomenon where stereotypically fat Americans move abroad, and suddenly start losing a ton of weight. Not because their eating habits consciously changed, but simply because the food that was readily available was suddenly so much healthier than when they were in America. Almost as if infrastructure has a huge impact on the public’s health.

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 3 points 9 hours ago

Portions in the US tend to just be larger as well. So you're eating larger portions of bad food.

[–] aesthelete@lemmy.world 2 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago)

No one here wants this.

I agree with your post otherwise, but clearly the food industry wants things to be the way they are. So, some people want this, and they bought the politicians to make it so.

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 11 points 11 hours ago

Now with real bleach - certified Covid-free!

[–] Litebit@lemmy.world 3 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago)

EU should respond by banning all type of chicken from US

[–] NocturnalEngineer@lemmy.world 9 points 12 hours ago

If I remember, Project 2025 also wanted to open up the NHS to "foreign competition" too.

It won't stop at just chlorinated chicken.

[–] x00z@lemmy.world 30 points 16 hours ago

"Free market"

"Buy our chicken or you will lose your market here"

[–] fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com 34 points 18 hours ago

Nigel Farage admitted he would allow American chlorine-washed chicken

Annnnd there you have it.

[–] boreengreen@lemm.ee 6 points 13 hours ago

Didn't this guy also just remove food regulation in USA? Smert move!

[–] varnia@lemm.ee 18 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

How does the chicken cross the Atlantic?

[–] MangoCats@feddit.it 13 points 17 hours ago

We're back to the chicken tax... it's the reason why 'Muricans all drive big pickup trucks:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax

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[–] match@pawb.social 55 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

generally kinda fucked up to think about raw meat being bulk shipped across oceans anyways

[–] reiterationstation@lemm.ee 24 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

Oh boy if you think that’s fucked up: They take American chickens, send them to China to process, then ship them back to the USA to sell to us.

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[–] 100_kg_90_de_belin@feddit.it 79 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

Nigel Farage admitted he would allow American chlorine-washed chicken to be sold in the UK as part of a free trade deal with the US.

God, what a sniveling excuse for a politician.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 7 points 12 hours ago

Pretends to be a nationalist as well.

[–] samuelwankenobi@lemm.ee 24 points 20 hours ago

Nigel Farage is a trump suck up who was literally paid off or bribed by Elon Musk I would just ignore everything he ever says

[–] Drusas@fedia.io 134 points 1 day ago (6 children)

A 2014 report by US non-profit Consumer Reports found that 97 per cent of 300 American chicken breasts tested contained harmful bacteria, including Salmonella, campylobacter and E.Coli.

Around half of the chicken breasts tested also contained at least one type of bacteria that was resistant to three or more antibiotics.

Meanwhile, if you ate a large amount of chlorinated chicken – the equivalent to 5 per cent of your body weight in one day –you could be exposed to harmful levels of the chemical compound known as chlorate,

Yeah, I'd suggest holding out on this one. The way US farms raise chickens is deplorable and leads to the spread of disease.

[–] ToadOfHypnosis@lemm.ee 52 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Americans tend to be unhealthy af for a reason. Regulatory capture is a major issue in our ever more corrupt government.

[–] Drusas@fedia.io 1 points 2 hours ago

We are fed garbage from birth and become immediately addicted to it. And no one knows how to cook anymore (exaggeration, but not by too much).

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 2 points 8 hours ago

I'm glad people say these things, because it reminds me that the death of critical thought isn't strictly an American crisis

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