The British Poultry Council (BPC) says that Government must not cross food standards “red lines” in a UK-US trade deal.
Amid growing uncertainty about a UK-US trade deal, the BPC has released a statement in which it appeals to Government to stand firm on food standards or “risk eroding decades of trust, investment, and progress”.
The trade association says that British poultry meat production is one of the cornerstones of UK food security and that it is “unsubsidised, market-driven, and underpinned by decades of investment in animal welfare, food safety, traceability, and stewardship”. Adding that investment in the sector has raised standards, driven productivity, fuelled growth and built “a food system that the public trust and value”.
Upholding standards
The BPC states that Government has committed to upholding “red lines” such as animal welfare, food safety, and bans on chlorine-washed chicken, and it calls on them to “stand by these commitments”.
BPC chief executive Richard Griffiths warns: “We must be clear: these ‘red lines’ are fine lines. We cannot afford to cross them unthinkingly.”
“Trade isn’t just about what others bring to the table; it is about recognising the immense value of what our producers deliver.”
Richard Griffiths, BPC chief executive
He continues: “Trade isn’t just about what others bring to the table; it is about recognising the immense value of what our producers deliver. We feed the nation to standards we are proud to uphold, built on decades of investment and trust.
“Time and again the Government has assured us that deals will reflect the quality and integrity of our industry. We are holding them to that. Because if agrifood becomes a bargaining chip, then we all lose.”
Warning that permitting products produced to lower standards erases decades of progress made in British food production, Griffiths adds: “Good trade deals boost growth and support productivity. The wrong ones risk undermining the very industries they aim to support.
“We don’t believe the Government would sell out its own products for the illusion of a good deal, but their silence since Trump’s tariffs announcement is deafening. Now is not the time to go quiet. When producers are undercut, it’s not just industry that pays the price – it’s the public.
“This isn’t about ‘chlorinated chicken’. This is about the values that underpin our food system. Growth without integrity is a shortcut to failure. It’s time to lead boldly and live by the standards that define British food.”
