My MEP Robert Sturdy was among Conservative spokesmen who led the vote against allowing US imports of chlorinated chicken in the EU – a practice banned in Europe. Yet the British government was the only country which turned a blind eye to this.
Robert is the Conservative international trade spokesman and his concerns were based on how meeting American demands would flout present strict public health standards.
The Commission had proposed allowing businesses to use four currently banned anti-microbial substances to decontaminate poultry carcasses following pressure from the US, even though the EU has had a ban on US chlorinated poultry since 1997. American producers use low-concentration chlorine to wash chickens before selling them.
Robert said:
“This has nothing to do with banning American poultry, it is about them meeting our present public health standards which have been set for a reason. There is no room for compromise when it comes to ensuring food standards in the EU remain the highest in the world. This could pose a risk to public health and loss of confidence in the product.
“And I wonder why the British government has failed to support the retention of the ban – the only country out of 27 which abstained during a recent vote on importing American chlorinated chicken. Could it be pressure from supermarkets to provide cheap food, or wanting to keep the Americans happy?”
I personally wondered about the air miles too, why do we need American imported chicken – chlorinated or not? Shouldn’t we be supporting the British poultry industry which has suffered over the last year or so?
*This picture is nothing to do with chickens, it is my lovely sister Rosalind who has a dress shop in Wisbech and met Robert to discuss Chinese imported clothes.
Chlorinated chicken – no thank you.
We categorically don’t want to lower our food standards to American ones and we don’t want our agriculture controlled by Monsanto.
It upsets me that the big supermarkets do more to stand up for Britain on this front than the Labour government does.
Why not let consumers make up their own minds? Or do you guys know what’s best for us all?
I’m surprised by that as they are phasing out using chlorine to treat water in the US.
I can’t imagine why this should be allowed.
The EU also banned bent cucumbers.
The USA being the most litigious society on earth probably has very high food standards as it happens – though not in taste, I agree.
I’m more concerned that centralised EU politicians have the power to overrule my Government (rightly or wrongly) than if my chicken has been washed in chlorine.
On the subject of chicken … what about bottler Brown’s reneging on our promised referendum on the Lisbon Treaty ? The Irish rejection was not anomalous as is being claimed, the vast majority of British people would have rejected it too … if only we’d been given the chance. So too most Europeans and MEPs know this full well.
Remember, the Treaty was needed after a massive EU expansion that none of us were asked about either. So not impressed, Robert. You’re letting us down on far more important issues than this.
The connection, Ellee, between Rosalind and chickens is hard to fathom. But entertaining nonetheless.
I’ve probably been eating it for years without even knowing since I live on this side of the pond. Ugh.
This may not be as bad as it may seem at first glance. I know of caterers who wash lettuce and other salad ingredients with warm water and washing-up liquid. This removes any bugs that may lurk. A practice I totally endorse. Of course, the items are thoroughly rinsed in cold water before serving.
(I’ll never forget a white wriggly thing in a salad at Nice Airport some years ago)
I prefer not to eat chlorinated chicken!!
I still can’t work out you Tory grassroots folk. One minute it’s all ‘boo hiss too much regulation, scrap it all and make the busy-bodies get proper jobs’.
Next minute regulation is suddenly a good thing.
As for the bent cucumbers/curvy bananas myth it’s a marketing standard – not a law!