How desperate are the UK Government to strike a trade deal with the United States? Are they desperate enough to compromise our food safety standards and allow big business to flood our farms with GM crops, endangering organic producers and putting farmers into financial hock to the seed suppliers?
None of these questions are being answered by government, and it is not just because the opposition are in too much chaos to ask them. Instead queries are being met with obfuscation and evasion as is illustrated by this article in the Independent.
The news site reports that the newly-elected environment secretary has failed to offer a clear commitment that the import of chlorinated chicken and hormone-fed beef will be off the table in any trade deal with the US.
They say that George Eustice, who was appointed in the recent reshuffle, did not give a clear answer on whether the government would retain the EU ban on the two products, which is expected to prove a crunch point in trade talks with Donald Trump’s administration.
This is despite the fact that his predecessor Theresa Villiers, gave a firm commitment that British markets would not be flooded with chlorine washed chicken, which is legal in the US.
It is unsurprising that Ministers’ previous refusal to rule out banning chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-injected beef has fuelled fears about food standards being lowered after Brexit.
In the face of non-denial denials we will have to wait to see how low the government will bend the knee to accommodate a trade deal with Donald Trump.
Welsh Liberal Democrats Councillor for Cwmbwrla Ward, City and County of Swansea - Please buy my novels at Author Page
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Sunday, February 23, 2020
1 comment:
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Johnson does not appear in the floods fiasco. He is seen on a plane flashing his new passport(still in EU colours blue and gold)whilst 'assessing' reports at Cheavening Kent.
ReplyDeleteEustice environment minister.! Did not see him on telly going around the floods.Was he doing his 'homework' for his appearance on Question Time.?Why is Eustice talking about agriculture?Who is in charge of this issue?