A US trade deal that promised tariffs on chlorinated chicken does not go far enough, animal welfare groups have warned, as they say the duty could simply be relaxed further down the road. Shaun Spiers, chairman of Greener UK, a coalition of 13 major environmental organisations including the National Trust, RSPB, WWF and The Wildlife Trusts, has warned that setting a high tariff on hormone-fed beef or chlorinated chicken “is no substitute for simply barring them as unfit for British consumers”. His comments come after the latest Government proposal for a trade deal with the US is for a “dual tariff” regime that imposes different levels of duty on imported foods, depending on whether they comply with UK animal welfare standards. Under the rules it would mean imports of chlorinated chicken from the US would be permitted but high tariffs on cheaply-produced food would be introduced in order to minimise the impact on British farmers. Hormone-fed beef, chlorinated chicken and other foods that use techniques banned in Britain will be allowed across the Atlantic, but ministers want to use tariffs to make it uneconomical for US producers to export them to the UK.
