Trade Secretary Liam Fox has said there are "no health reasons" why British consumers could not eat chlorinated poultry.
Speaking at the Commons International Trade Committee on Wednesday morning (1 November), Mr Fox said he had ‘no objection’ to it being sold to the British public.
He added that his department “will be ready for the UK legally leaving the EU at the end of March 2019”.
He said: “I am very keen that we get a Brexit deal with the EU, but I’m not afraid of not getting one, we need to work within those parameters.
“Our first priority is to get a good trade deal with the EU, then we can look beyond Europe”.
During the meeting he also revealed that he has plans for future trade agreements with South Korea, Switzerland, the US, Australia and New Zealand.
Cheaper food imports
However, of biggest concern to the farming industry was the reopening of the row over post-Brexit food standards, mainly to do with a possible trade deal with the US which could allow lower-standard chlorinated chicken to be imported into the UK.
Speaking about a possible trade deal with the US, Mr Fox said: “There are no health reasons why you shouldn’t eat chickens that have been washed in chlorinated water.
He added that “most salads in our supermarkets” are washed in chlorinated water already.
In the US, the government permits such practices as chlorinated chicken, which consists of dipping meat into chlorinated water to prevent microbial contamination.
Indeed, a report has warned of the potential increase in cheaper, lower standard food imports to the UK which could put British farmers at a competitive disadvantage.
Public backlash
There was a public backlash at a US trade deal over the summer when it was revealed chlorinated chicken could be sold on UK shelves.
However, Mr Fox said he had “no objections to UK public being sold something that is safe as long as they know what they are eating”.
His comments appear to contradict Defra Secretary Michael Gove, who vowed that the UK would back out of any trade deal with the US that lowered food standards for consumers.
He also said: “We’re keen for a trade deal with the US, but wouldn’t accept a bad deal if offered one.”
